Although they do not get as much attention as cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides significantly increase your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke, some of the leading causes of death in the United States. While cholesterol levels are largely affected by cholesterol and fat intake, excess calories and sugar consumption have the most significant effect on triglyceride levels.
Creation of Triglycerides
When you eat, your body uses the amount it needs for energy and then converts the rest into triglycerides, which are stored in your fat cells. When you do not eat for an extended period of time and you need energy, your body signals the release of these triglycerides, which are converted to energy. If you regularly consume excess calories, the triglycerides that your body creates will overwhelm your bloodstream and may accumulate on the walls of your arteries.
Sugar and Triglycerides
Sugar is a source of empty calories. This means that sugar provides your body with a lot of calories, but no other nutrients. When you eat foods that are high in sugar, it is easy to ingest well over the number of calories that your body actually needs. Because high-sugar foods do not generally contain nutrients, such as fiber or protein, they do not contribute to satiation. This is another factor that makes it easy to overindulge on sugary foods. Fortunately, because sugar plays such a large role in high triglycerides, cutting back on sweets in your diet can help lower your triglyceride levels.
Sugar Recommendations
Cleveland Clinic recommends limiting your sugar intake to no more than 8 percent of your total calories. If you are on a 2,000-per-day diet, this translates to 40 g of sugar per day. Cut out obvious sources of added sugar, such as soda, fruit juice, candy and chocolate. Choose cereals that contain no more than 8 g of sugar per serving and opt for sugar-free versions of your favorite treats. Avoid foods that contain the words low-fat or fat-free; these foods usually contain more sugar and calories than their full-fat counterparts.
Get into the habit of reading ingredient lists and omit any foods that contain sucrose, glucose, fructose, corn syrup, honey, maltose, molasses and high-fructose corn syrup, which are different names for simple sugars.
Considerations
Sugar comes from less obvious sources as well. Refined grains, such as white bread, white pasta, white rice and processed foods act just like sugar in your body. Replace the refined grains in your diet with whole-grain varieties, such as whole-wheat bread, brown rice and whole-wheat pasta. Read ingredient labels and avoid foods that contain the words "enriched" or "bleached" in the first ingredient. This indicates that these foods have undergone a refining process.
