Triglycerides are a fat in your blood. Excessive triglycerides increase your risk of heart disease, but you can reduce your triglyceride levels by changing your diet. The U.S. government's National Cholesterol Education Program reports that people with a triglyceride level of 150 milligrams per deciliter, or mg/dL, or higher may need treatment, but your age and gender are important criteria in assessing your risk of heart disease.
Significance for Men
You should consider a diet to reduce your triglycerides if they're high enough to put you at moderate risk for heart disease. In the book "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way," Dr. Kenneth Cooper reports that men should change their diet if they're 20 to 39 years old and their triglyceride level is 94 to 133 mg/dL; they're 40 to 59 with triglycerides between 122 and 170 mg/dL; or they're 60 and above with triglycerides between 111 and 154 mg/dL. Men with higher levels are at high risk of heart disease and should consult a doctor.
Significance for Women
Women are at moderate risk of heart disease and should consider triglycerides-lowering foods if they're 20 to 39 years old their triglyceride level is 78 to 106 mg/dL; they're 40 to 59 and their triglyceride level is 99 to 140 mg/dL; or they're at least 60 years old and their triglyceride level is 111 to 146 mg/dL. Women should consult a doctor if their triglyceride levels are higher than the moderate-risk numbers.
Causes
High triglyceride levels are often triggered by diets high in starches and sugars. These refined carbohydrates increase the amount of insulin in your body, and the insulin stimulates your liver to produce triglycerides. "The New Pritikin Program" book cites cakes, cookies, pastries and white bread as foods that have a particularly negative impact on triglycerides, but carbohydrates such as apple juice and mashed potatoes that were low in sugar before they were refined also can cause triglyceride levels to rise.
Solutions
Unrefined carbohydrates, particularly those that have a lot of fiber, can reduce your triglyceride levels, wrote "Pritikin Program" author Robert Pritikin. Beans, fruits, grains and vegetables are the foods with the most fiber. Soluble fiber, the kind of fiber that dissolves, is particularly beneficial. Pritikin's list of foods with a lot of soluble fiber include barley, oat bran, oats, figs, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, kale, peas, yam, kidney beans, lima beans and pinto beans.
Expert Advice
The University of Massachusetts Medical School's 10 tips for reducing triglycerides include eight dietary changes. Eating fewer refined carbohydrates, more fiber and more plant-based foods are three of the tips. The others are eating fewer sweets, drinking less alcohol, eating more fish with omega-3 fatty acids, avoiding trans fat, and eating fewer fried foods and saturated fats. Fish with lots of omega-3 fatty acids include mackerel, salmon, sardines, trout and tuna. Many meats are loaded with trans and saturated fats.
References
- National Cholesterol Education Program: High Blood Cholesterol
- "An Invitation to Health"; Dianne Hales; 2003
- "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way" Dr. Kenneth Cooper and William Proctor; 1999
- "The New Pritikin Program"; Robert Pritikin; 2007
- University of Massachusetts Medical School: Lower Your Triglycerides
