High triglyceride levels are associated with an elevated risk of heart disease and diabetes, the American Heart Association warns. Any calories consumed that are not used as energy are stored as triglycerides, a type of fat, in your cells. Hormones trigger the release of triglycerides to fuel your body in between meals, but chronic over-eating and a sedentary lifestyle may lead to high triglyceride levels.
Lowering your triglyceride levels can be done with lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise, rather than medication.
Step 1
Avoid alcohol. MayoClinic.com states that alcohol has a "particularly potent" effect on triglycerides and that even small quantities of beer, wine and liquor can raise triglyceride levels.
Step 2
Avoid refined sugars and simple carbohydrates, which turn to glucose very quickly in your body. Any glucose not used immediately is stored as triglycerides. This includes concentrated amounts of natural sugars, such as fruit juice, honey and molasses.
Choose complex carbohydrates in whole grains such as brown rice, millet, quinoa and real whole wheat, suggest the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
Step 3
Eat heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and unsaturated fats such as olive oil instead of the saturated fats found in beef and whole-fat dairy. The Cleveland Clinic suggests that eating too much fat will raise triglyceride levels and that you should limit your total fat intake to no more than 30 percent of your calories, with no more than 7 percent of your calories coming from saturated fat.
Step 4
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Exercise increases HDL cholesterol and reduces excess triglycerides, the University of Massachusetts Medical School states.
Step 5
Lose weight. Losing just 10 lbs. will lower your triglyceride level, as well as giving you more energy and better overall health, MayoClinic.com mentions. The American Heart Association recommends cutting calories to reach your ideal weight. (reference 2 & 1)
Tips and Warnings
- Triglycerides are measured along with cholesterol levels using a blood test. Normal levels are below 150 mg/dL and anything over 200 mg/dL is considered high. Eat small frequent meals and avoid eating late at night, suggests the Cleveland Clinic.
- High-triglyceride levels can be a sign of hypothyroidism, poorly controlled type-2 diabetes, kidney and liver disease or the side effect of certain medications such as beta-blockers and birth control pills. Discuss these possible causes of high triglycerides with your doctor if you are already eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly. (reference 2)
