Things To Know About Triglycerides And Your Heart Health

Triglycerides or blood fats are an essential measure for the health of your heart. Triglycerides (high levels) increase an individual’s risk for having a heart attack or stroke. When looking at cardiovascular risk, all of us tend to look at LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol levels, often overlooking the triglycerides. However, extremely high levels (1,000 mg/dL or more) spell trouble for your ticker and can lead to acute pancreatitis. All these highlight the importance of monitoring this vital parameter closely.

People may have high triglyceride levels (hypertriglyceridemia) if they consume more calories than they can burn. A simple blood test can help you keep a track of the level of triglycerides in the blood.

A value below 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or lower than 1.7 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) indicates the level of triglycerides is in the normal range. Triglycerides ranging between 200 to 499 mg/dL is high, and triglycerides above 500 mg/dL or above is extremely high.

Triglycerides are a kind of fat found in our blood. HDL (good cholesterol) and triglycerides are closely connected in a way that HDL goes down with a rise in the level of triglycerides, and vice versa. However, research has lately been showing that high triglycerides are an independent risk factor for heart disease, regardless of your HDL.

It is very much important to keep a watch on the level of triglycerides in the blood as high levels can lead to heart ailments and complications in other organs. As the triglycerides go up, they start accumulating in the arteries. If this goes on like this, then artery walls start hardening and thickening- a condition is known as arteriosclerosis, which increases the risk of heart diseases, including stroke and heart attack. Individuals having high triglycerides are also at an increased risk of developing fatty liver disease or suffering from type 2 diabetes or diabetes mellitus.

High triglyceride level causes:

1.      Obesity

2.      Alcoholism (alcohol consumption in excess)

3.      Cigarette smoking

4.      Underactive thyroid gland

5.      Consumption of sugar-laden food in excess

6.      Liver and kidney ailments

7.      Poorly controlled diabetes

8.      Side effects of specific medications like diuretics, steroids, retinoids, beta-blockers, etc.

Many of the steps you should take to lower triglycerides are the same ones you should take to protect the health of your ticker and overall health, which are as follows:

1.      Get regular aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. It will help you reduce the triglycerides and encourage the formation of “good” cholesterol. Physical activities as simple as walking, climbing stairs, jogging, etc will do.

2.      A large part of your diet should comprise healthy fats, which can be obtained by eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids (mackerel, sardines, salmon, and tuna) instead of red meat and using olive or canola oil for cooking purpose. Steer clear of food prepared with hydrogenated oils or trans fats (can be found in processed food and margarine).

3.      Shed a few pounds if you are overweight. Work towards keeping your body weight within the standard range based on your height and weight, all the more so if you get detected with mild to moderate hypertriglyceridemia. Cut down on excess calories (they get stored as triglycerides) and exercise regularly.

4.      Limit your consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates, which is largely found in cakes, pastries, cookies, and donuts.

5.      Limit alcohol consumption.

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