Controlling triglycerides, a fat in your blood, without taking medication depends on three steps, and two of them involve dietary changes, according to health expert Dr. Kenneth Cooper. In "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way," Cooper wrote that people with high triglyceride levels should eat less because excess body fat increases triglycerides; eat fewer carbohydrates, because their starch and sugar increases triglycerides; and exercise more. Eating certain fish also cuts triglyceride levels.
Low-Calorie Diets
High levels of triglycerides increase your heart-disease risk "even when blood cholesterol levels are normal," according to "High Triglycerides," a report by Kansas State University. You're at risk of heart disease if your triglyceride level is 150 milligrams per deciliter, or mg/dL, or higher, reports the National Cholesterol Education Program.
Losing weight by eating less "usually lowers triglycerides," according to the "High Triglycerides" report. A National Institutes of Health study showed that low-calorie diets work. It consisted of two low-fat and two high-fat diets. One low- and one high-fat diet had 10 percent more carbohydrates and 10 percent less protein than the other low- and high-fat diets. All four diets were personalized so all the dieters were eating fewer calories than they had previously. Each diet reduced triglycerides within six months and also reduced participants' bad cholesterol, blood pressure and weight.
Low-Carbohydrate Diets
The low-calorie diets relied on carbohydrates for 35 to 65 percent of their calories, but the creators of two low-carb diets report that their menus dramatically reduced dieters' triglyceride levels. The Atkins and South Beach diets recommend eating a lot of high-fat meats and eggs and few carbohydrates, including fruits, bread, cereal, pasta and rice. The principle is that carbohydrates' starch and sugar increase your blood-sugar level, body fat, weight and heart-disease risks, including high triglyceride levels.
The late Dr. Robert Atkins wrote that triglycerides are the No. 1 cause of heart disease, but they "plummet within the first month on Atkins" after dieters' body chemistries changed because of the carbohydrate limitations. He reported that one dieter's triglyceride level dropped from 134 to 31 mg/dL after eating a high-fat diet for three months. Dr. Arthur Agatston wrote that the triglyceride level of one dieter on his South Beach Diet plunged from more than 400 mg/dL to less than 100 mg/dL in one month.
Fatty Fish Diets
People who have eaten a lot of cold-water fatty fish throughout their lives have very low triglyceride levels, according to "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way." Author Dr. Kenneth Cooper cites the diets of the Eskimos and Japanese and attributes the low triglyceride levels to the omega-3 fatty acid in the fish. Good sources of omega-3 fatty acid include bass, bluefish, halibut, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines, tuna, trout and whitefish.
Cooper also wrote that the triglyceride levels of Americans fed a lot of fish with omega-3 fatty acid "declined 64 to 79 percent." The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fatty fish weekly.
References
- "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way" Dr. Kenneth Cooper and William Proctor; 1999
- National Institutes of Health: Reduced-Calorie Diets Promote Long-term Weight Loss
- National Cholesterol Education Program: High Blood Cholesterol
- "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution"; Dr. Robert Atkins; 2002
- Kansas State University: High Triglycerides
- "The South Beach Diet"; Dr. Arthur Agatston; 2003
