Borderline           150-199 mg/dL

High                       200-499 mg/dL

Very High            500 mg/dL or more

 

High triglyceride levels increase risks for: Atherosclerosis, Diabetes, Stroke, Heart Attack, Heart Disease and Metabolic Syndrome.

 

Causes of high triglyceride levels:

• Obesity
• Untreated or poorly treated diabetes
• Low levels of thyroid hormones.
• Kidney Disease
• Genetics
• High alcohol consumption

Medicines that can affect triglyceride levels are: Tamoxifen, steroids, beta-blockers, diuretics, Estrogen, and birth control pills.

Lifestyle choices for reducing triglycerides:

• Lose excess pounds and get to your ideal body weight. Click here to compute your ideal body weight.
• Reduce your consumption of foods that are high in saturated fat, trans-fat and cholesterol.
• Avoid sugary foods.
• Avoid alcohol or at least reduce your consumption.
• Exercise regularly the American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of physical activity 5 or more days per week.
• Eat fish high in omega-3 fatty acids (mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon) while reducing beef consumption.
• Get high blood pressure under control if necessary.
• Avoid cigarette smoke.

There are medications available if good healthy lifestyle choices aren’t working. Your doctor may prescribe a fibrates medication, nicotinic acids, or cholesterol lowering statin in combination with a fibrate.