Triglycerides are important to the body because they provide energy between meals. Calories that aren’t used immediately after eating are stored as triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. If you consume more calories than you burn off, your triglyceride levels may become elevated. Elevated triglycerides may contribute to a hardening of artery walls, and that increases your risk of heart attack, heart disease and stroke. There are many ways to bring those levels back into the normal range.
Lose Weight
Both the MayoClinic.com and Cleveland Clinic put losing weight at the top of their lists of ways to lower triglyceride levels. If you’re overweight, losing just 5 to 10 lbs. can help bring your triglyceride level down. Because extra calories are converted into triglycerides and stored as fat, if you cut back on your calories, your triglyceride levels can be cut back, too.
Change Your Diet
If you want to cut your triglyceride level, you many need to make some changes in what you eat, as well as how much you eat. The MayoClinic.com recommends cutting back on sugar and foods made with white flour, because they tend to increase triglyceride levels. Limit cholesterol to no more than 300 mg a day. Eliminate trans fats and trade the saturated fats found in meats for the healthier monounsaturated fats found in olive, peanut and canola oils. Cut back on red meats while adding fish to your diet that’s high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Limit Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol is high in sugar and calories and can boost triglyceride levels, so the Cleveland Clinic recommends following your doctor’s orders when it comes to consuming alcohol. If you have high triglycerides but don’t want to give up your wine or cocktails, the Cleveland Clinic suggests limiting your intake of alcohol to no more than 5 oz. a day.
Get Some Exercise
MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, recommends regular exercise to help burn calories and cut triglyceride levels. Try for about 30 minutes a day. The MayoClinic.com suggests taking a brisk walk, swimming some laps or joining an exercise group. If it’s too hard to find a block of 30 minutes for exercising, split the workout into three, 10-minute segments. Burn some extra calories by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or doing some sit-ups and push-ups in front of the TV.
Take Medication
If changes in diet and lifestyle don’t bring your triglyceride levels back into a healthy range, your doctor may suggest taking medication. High triglycerides often occur along with high levels of cholesterol, which is another type of fat. MayoClinic.com notes that most therapies are aimed at bringing levels of so-called “bad” cholesterol down before addressing high triglyceride levels. Some of the cholesterol medicines that might be recommended include niacin, fibrates, statins and omega-3 fatty acid supplements.
