Most people are concerned with their cholesterol levels, but your blood triglycerides matter, too. Triglycerides are the storage form of fat calories for your body. When you eat dietary fat, your blood absorbs the nutrients from your intestines and transports the excess fat to storage sites. Dietary fat is also used as energy or is broken off from storage sites and delivered to cells for energy via the bloodstream. No matter what they are there for, high triglyceride levels in your blood can be harmful to your health.
High Triglycerides
When you get your cholesterol tested, your doctor may also test your triglyceride levels. These levels matter because triglycerides contribute to your risk of atherosclerosis, a hardening of your arteries that can cause a heart attack or stroke. Normal triglyceride levels are 150 milligrams per deciliter, mg/dL, or less. High triglyceride levels are above 200 mg/dL and very high levels will exceed 500 mg/dL.
Statin Medications
Statins are medications that are usually prescribed to help control high cholesterol levels. However, statins can have a lowering effect on triglycerides as well. Statins work by inhibiting your body's production of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol as well as increasing the liver receptors that take in LDL cholesterol from the blood. According to the "Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine," this mechanism also has a triglyceride-lowering effect, which is dose-dependent. The higher the dose of statins, the bigger the reduction in triglycerides.
Statins and Triglycerides
The research regarding statins and triglycerides began in 1996 when the first study was published. In 1998, a study published in the "American Journal of Cardiology" set out to discover the effects of the different types of statins on triglyceride levels. This study explored the effects of various statins on those with hypertriglyceridemia -- a genetic disorder in which triglyceride levels are abnormally high -- and without. For those with elevated triglyceride levels, every type of statin produced a reduction of triglyceride levels between 22 and 45 percent. Interestingly, though, there was no reduction in triglycerides for individuals with normal levels. This study shows that statin medications can be a useful tool for treating elevated triglycerides.
Side Effects and Considerations
Statins are a highly accepted medication. A few people on statins may suffer from fatigue or muscular pain. Though doctors are not sure why this happens, the benefits of a statin drug may outweigh the side effects. Statins may be an effective means of reducing the possibility of a cardiovascular event. If you are having trouble controlling your triglycerides, cholesterol, or both, consult your doctor about taking a statin.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Triglycerides: Why Do They Matter?; June 17, 2010
- "Cecil Essentials of Medicine"; Thomas Andreoli, Charles Carpenter, Robert Griggs, Joseph Loscalzo, eds.; 2004
- "Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine"; Eric J. Topol, et al.; 2007
- "American Journal of Cardiology"; Comparison of Statins in Hypertriglyceridemia; E.A. Stein, et al.; 1998
