You cannot control some factors -- your age, gender and genetics, for example -- that put you at risk for developing heart disease. You have limited control over other factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure. But you can lower your triglycerides by 20 to 50 percent by changes to your diet and lifestyle, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
High Triglycerides
Some of the food you eat contains triglycerides, and some food converts to triglycerides in your bloodstream. Excess weight, a diet that includes too much saturated fat, trans fat and sugar, and a lifestyle that includes too little exercise can cause your triglycerides to rise to high levels. Alcohol also contributes to high triglycerides. Triglycerides over 300 mg/dl -- milligrams per deciliter of blood -- place you at high risk for suffering a heart attack or stroke. Your risk would prove greater if your levels topped 500 mg/dl and would drop to acceptable risk if they went below 100 mg/dl to 150 mg/dl.
Triglyceride Study
Some people find it difficult to lower their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, another risk factor for cardiovascular problems, through diet and lifestyle alone. Triglycerides, however, prove more sensitive to such efforts, according to Michael Miller,director of the Center for Preventive Cardiologoy at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Miller and colleagues reviewed 500 studies conducted over the past 30 years to reach the conclusion that you could reduce triglycerides by 20 percent through diet and another 20 to 30 percent through exercise. Miller's analysis formed the basis of the revised AHA guidelines released in April 2011 following the publication of the study in "Circulation."
AHA Recommendations
To lower your triglycerides from 300 mg/dl to a safer level of 150 mg/dl, you should follow these recommendations: limit sugar consumption to 5 to 10 percent of your daily calories; limit fructose intake from fruit and processed foods to 50 to 100 g daily; include no more than 16 g of saturated fat and no more than 2 g of trans fat in your daily diet. If you're overweight, shed the extra pounds and, if you smoke, stop. Include at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise -- brisk walking, for example -- in your weekly routine. Limit your consumption of alcohol to about one drink per day if you're a woman or older than 50 or two drinks per day if you're a younger man.
Considerations
You can accomplish the dietary changes by eating more vegetables and whole grains and less meat. The AHA limitations on fructose do not prohibit from eating fruit, but choices such as berries, cantaloupe, apples and peaches will prove superior to your triglyceride-reducing efforts than dried fruit or watermelon. To keep trans fat to acceptable limits, substitute olive oil for margarine and shortening, and read nutrition labels before purchasing processed snacks. Reduce the number of soft drinks you consume. The AHA suggests drinking no more than 36 oz. of regular soda weekly.
References
- American Heart Association; Diet, Lifestyle Changes Can Significantly Reduce Triglyceride; April 18 2011
- "Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association"; Triglycerides and Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association; Michael Miller et al; April 30 2011
- MayoClinic.com; High Cholesterol; June 24 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Nutrition Guidelines; February 2011
