Diabetes and high triglycerides are a product of an unhealthy lifestyle. Elevated triglyceride levels may lead to diabetes, and the pair can be life threatening. When you eat more than your body needs, your body stores the extra energy as fat. Between meals or when you need the stored energy, your body liberates fat and releases it into your bloodstream in the form of triglycerides. Diabetes is characterized by the body's inability to use available blood glucose. This can occur from a decrease in insulin output or a cellular insensitivity to insulin. Both conditions are unsafe, but can be managed and prevented with a healthy lifestyle.
Risk Factors
The risk factors for developing high triglycerides and diabetes are shockingly similar. Risk factors for elevated triglyceride levels and diabetes include overeating, excessive intake of fats and carbohydrates and an inactive lifestyle.
Significance
According to the National Institutes of Health, the number one killer of type 2 diabetics is cardiovascular disease. Diabetes directly increases your risk for developing heart disease. Elevated triglycerides may be a sign of other unhealthy conditions, such as high LDL cholesterol and excess abdominal fat, which also contributes to heart disease. Heart disease is characterized by a buildup of plaque--which is fuelled by excessive levels of LDL cholesterol--inside your arterial walls. When your arteries become occluded, blood that needs to pass through them is prohibited from doing so. This can cause a lack of oxygen to your heart. Other times, the occlusion may break off and become lodged in another vital artery, which can cause a stroke or embolism.
The Connection
Elevated triglycerides can be a sign of uncontrolled diabetes. If you have hyperglycemia, that means your cells are unable to take in available glucose in your blood. When this occurs, your body thinks there is a need to increase the energy inside your blood. It doesn't know there is already enough there; it just knows that the cells that need it aren't getting it. In an attempt to fuel the cells, your body mobilizes fat for use in addition to glucose, resulting in elevated blood triglycerides.
Treating Your Condition
Ideally, a diabetic should have triglyceride levels less than 150 mg/dL. In order to control your diabetes and your triglyceride levels, you can begin by changing certain behaviors. Getting regular exercise and losing weight is the first step. Modify your diet to match your energy needs and limit your intake of processed carbohydrates, added sugars, saturated fats and cholesterol. Try to include healthier foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
References
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse; Diabetes Overview; November 2008
- MayoClinic.com; Triglycerides: Why Do They Matter?; June 17, 2010
- "Diabetes Care"; Identifying Individuals at High Risk for Diabetes; Maria Inês Schmidt, M.D., Ph.D., et al.; August 2005
- PubMed Health: Coronary Heart Disease
- American Diabetes Association: Hyperglycemia
- "Exercise Physiology"; George A. Brooks, Thomas D. Fahey and Kenneth M. Baldwin; 2003
