Having high triglycerides increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and when they are very high, pancreatitis. One problem with its diagnosis is that high triglycerides usually have no symptoms.
What are triglycerides?
Triglycerides are the main type of fat transported by the blood throughout the body for energy or to be stored in the body’s cells to supply energy needs between meals.
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The triglycerides represent about 95 percent of all dietary fats.
Animal and vegetable fats (such as edible oils) contain triglycerides.
The cholesterol and triglycerides are the two main types of lipids in our blood.
What increases triglyceride levels?
Consuming foods rich in sugar such as candy, ice cream, sugary sodas, bread, and cookies of all kinds raise triglyceride levels.
The liver converts excess sugar into triglycerides and stores them in liver cells as fat .
Foods made with refined flours such as white bread, white rice, and pasta are quickly absorbed in the digestive system and converted into sugar in the body, the excess of which is transformed into triglycerides.
Once digested, triglycerides from the diet circulate in the blood to be used as energy by cells.
Excess triglycerides are deposited as fat in your body.
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If you regularly eat more foods than you need, particularly those rich in sugar and refined flours, you will be overweight or obese and may increase the levels of triglycerides circulating in your blood.
What is the normal level of triglycerides?
Triglyceride levels vary with age, and also depend on how recently you ate food before the test.
The measurement is more accurate if you have not eaten in the 12 hours before the exam.
The normal value is equal to or less than 150 mg / dL.
A high level is between 200 and 499 mg / dL
For those who suffer from heart problems, triglyceride levels should be less than 100 mg / dl.
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Triglycerides and cholesterol
Like triglycerides, cholesterol is a fatty substance that circulates in the blood.
However, the body uses triglycerides and cholesterol differently.
Triglycerides are a type of fuel, they produce the energy that cells consume; while cholesterol is necessary for the manufacture of fundamental substances for the body such as hormones and it is also necessary for the permanent construction of cells in the body.
Side effects of high triglycerides
Metabolic syndrome
High triglycerides can be a symptom of metabolic syndrome.
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The metabolic syndrome is the combination of high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, too much fat around the waist, low levels of good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) and high triglycerides.
Metabolic syndrome increases your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Pancreatitis
Very high triglycerides (more than 500 mg / dl) can also cause pancreatitis , a disease consisting of inflammation of the pancreas, a gland that secretes enzymes into the small intestine for the digestion of food.
This gland also produces insulin, a hormone that regulates the level of glucose in the blood.
Xanthoma
Xanthoma is a skin condition in which fats accumulate under the surface of the skin and are generally caused by high levels of cholesterol or triglycerides in the blood.
Xanthomas are common, especially among older adults and people with high blood fats.
They usually appear in the joints, especially the knees and elbows, feet, hands and on the buttocks.
There is also a type of xanthoma that affects the eyelids called xanthelasma.
Xanthomas vary in size. Some are very small like dots, others are over 3 inches in diameter.
Why do triglycerides go up?
It can have several causes:
- Over weight
Triglycerides generally increase as weight increases
- Excessive calorie intake
Triglycerides rise as you gain weight or eat too many calories, especially from sugar and alcohol.
Alcohol increases the production of triglycerides in the liver. The Mediterranean diet is ideal for lowering your triglycerides.
- Age
Triglyceride levels rise regularly with age.
- Medicines
Some drugs such as birth control , steroids, and diuretics cause triglyceride levels to rise.
Diuretics are used to remove excess water in the body through urine.
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- Diseases
Diabetes, hypothyroidism , kidney and liver diseases are associated with high triglyceride levels.
When diabetes is not controlled, it can increase your triglyceride levels.
Triglycerides can drop to normal levels if blood sugar is lowered.
Diabetics and women after menopause are among the groups that need to watch their triglycerides more carefully .
More than 75% of diabetics have high triglyceride levels and 30% of women who have gone through menopause suffer from this same problem.
- Heritage
Some types of high triglyceride levels occur in members of the same family.
Treatment to lower high triglycerides
Treatment should include certain basics including:
- Balanced diet
- Exercise
- Lose weight
- Decrease alcohol consumption
- Control cholesterol levels
Continue reading:
What is the recommended treatment to lower triglycerides?
Medications for lowering triglycerides
People with increased triglycerides in the blood should make a change in their lifestyle, but medication should also be considered if the patient does not respond as expected.
- The statins help if the patient has triglycerides in addition to elevated cholesterol levels.
- The fibrates are particularly useful for lowering triglycerides.
- The Ezetimibe is a drug that blocks the absorption of cholesterol.
- The omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil supplements) can help reduce triglyceride levels
Continue reading:
Medications for the treatment of triglycerides
High triglyceride diet
Their diet significantly affects the body’s use of fats.
Obesity is an important factor that is related to an increase in triglycerides.
For this reason, you should not exceed the amount of calories consumed per day since high-calorie diets stimulate the production of triglycerides in the liver.
Carbohydrates
High carbohydrate diets raise triglyceride levels by increasing triglyceride synthesis in the liver.
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In this case, it is convenient to reduce the intake of foods rich in simple carbohydrates, such as sugar (refined sugar, sugary drinks, soft drinks, ice cream), fructose (present in commercial fruit juices), in addition to consuming smaller portions of bread , rice, pasta, potato and other high carbohydrate foods.
Avoid eating foods made with refined flours
White rice, bread, and pasta made with white flour increase triglycerides.
Instead, eat moderate amounts of whole grains like whole grain 7-grain breads, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and other grains like whole grain quinoa, barley, oats, and millet.
Fats
Dietary fats are almost exclusively made up of triglycerides. To lower triglycerides, it is important to reduce the total fat intake, preferably by 25-30%.
Saturated fat
Saturated fat raises triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
All animal fats, with the exception of those from fish, are saturated, so it is preferable to limit their consumption.
Remove the skin from the chicken, and eat beef or pork very occasionally, trying to only consume lean cuts (made up of muscle fiber, without fat).
You should cut down on high-fat dairy products like butter and cream as well as plant-based foods high in saturated fats like palm oil and coconut oil.
Eliminate alcohol consumption
Drinking alcoholic beverages is a strong contributor to high triglyceride levels. Even a small amount of alcohol can raise triglycerides. These drinks include: beer, wine, rum, whiskey, vodka, and other spirits.
