What’s Up With My Triglycerides?

Perhaps it is because I am getting older that I think cartoons
are not what they used to be I have five young children, all
boys Like any concerned parent I govern what they watch I have
found that some of the most detrimental shows on television are
actually the cartoons because of the values, or lack of them,
that they teach
Fortunately some of the classics are still around My favorite
has always been that wascally wabbit Bugs Bunny and his
trademark expression, “What’s up, Doc?” Unfortunately, for many
of us the answer to the question, “What’s up, Doc?” is, “Your
triglycerides” Triglycerides are becoming increasingly
important in heart health matters In fact in the ‘Third Report
of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)’,
triglyceride testing is recommended as part of a complete
cholesterol profile In other words, it is recommended that
doctors evaluate high cholesterol treatments in respect to a
patient’s triglyceride levels
So what’s up with triglycerides? Or perhaps we should phrase the
question this way, “Why are my triglycerides so high?” If high
triglycerides are really a serious health concern (and they are)
then we are wise to be concerned if ours are high Of course
your doctor is the one to isolate the particular cause or causes
of your elevated triglyceride levels Or perhaps you do not have
high triglycerides and are concerned to keep things that way
Either way let’s consider some of the things that influence
triglyceride levels
I enjoy backing into a subject so let’s begin with some causes
that are not so common The first grouping can be classified as
medical conditions These would include but are not limited to
the following:
Hypothyroidism is one such condition It occurs when the thyroid
does not properly control metabolism resulting in fatigue,
weakness, weight gain, cold intolerance as well as many other
uncomfortable symptoms It also tends to raise triglycerides
Nephrotic syndrome is a serious kidney disease characterized by
high levels of protein in the urine and low levels of protein in
the blood It also produces swelling around the eyes, feet and
hands due to the retention of fluids In addition to raising
triglycerides it can also raise LDL cholesterol which is tied to
coronary heart disease
Several liver diseases can negatively affect triglyceride
levels One particular liver condition, known as fatty liver,
involves the overproduction and accumulation of triglycerides
and other fats in liver cells Severe cases can result in liver
cell death
Familial hypertriglyceridemia refers to a group of rare genetic
disorders resulting in high triglyceride levels It occurs when
the lever produces too much triglyceride and in severe cases can
cause triglyceride levels in excess of 1,000 mg/dL and
pancreatitis (acute or chronic inflammation of the pancreas)
Pregnancy is a not so rare medical condition that causes
triglycerides to rise temporarily (usually in the third
trimester) The preventive cure for pregnancy, abstinence, is
readily available but must people find it a difficult pill to
swallow
Closely related to medical conditions are the medications we
take to cure them Some medications can negatively affect LDL
and HDL cholesterols as well as triglycerides Usually when a
patient stops taking the medication his triglyceride levels
return to what they were before taking the medication If you
are taking prescribed medicines ask your doctor if they can
negatively affect cholesterol and triglycerides
So much for the less common causes of elevated triglycerides
But now it is time to consider those causes which are usually to
blame for our unhealthy condition It is a short list beginning
with diabetes
Of course diabetes is a serious disease in many respects In
relation to heart disease it is treated as a risk factor equal
to that of someone who has documented coronary heart disease
Persons with diabetes who experience a myocardial infarction
(heart attack) have an unusually high death rate in either the
short or long term Therefore diabetics need to be very
aggressive in lowering triglycerides and LDL cholesterol
Obesity is next on the list for the most common causes of high
triglycerides Triglycerides are the primary fat in our bodies,
the main constituent in our energy system People who are
overweight tend to have much higher levels of these fats They
also have higher LDL cholesterol levels which are perhaps even
more serious
It would not be appropriate to assume that obesity has the same
cause in every case There are many conditions (like
hypothyroidism) which can attribute to uncontrollable weight
gain These conditions are beyond our present topic But I do
have to ask this question: Why is obesity on the increase? The
United States is becoming fatter I think most of us suspect
that changes in lifestyle habits are the primary contributors to
the increase in obesity
At this point our subject matter takes a turn The causes we
have already discussed are in many cases beyond our control
(pregnancy being an obvious exception) Diabetics do not choose
to be diabetics But interestingly enough as we approach the
most common cause of rising triglycerides we find ourselves in
territory where we do have control Some causes of obesity are
difficult to control Some are not These latter causes deserve
our focus precisely because we can do something about them We
can get more exercise It may not be easy or convenient but we
can do something about our lethargy We don’t get enough
exercise because we choose not to Lack of exercise attributes
to triglyceride buildup and obesity In short, we often have
high triglycerides because we choose to
And now we have arrived at the most common cause of elevated
triglycerides And it is also the most controllable Drum roll
pleaseit is diet They say you are what you eat I hope that
is not true I love catfish and it is a bottom feeder But in
respect to health it is often a true statement Your diet
dramatically affects your health This is most assuredly true
when it comes to triglycerides Our bodies both take in
triglycerides when we eat and manufacture triglycerides from the
things we eat That is how we make energy But diets high in
certain foods and low in others cause the body to create and
store inordinate amounts of triglycerides Top on the list is
sugar Simple sugar is easily converted into triglycerides We
were never created to consume the large amounts of processed
sugar that have become commonplace in our culture Other simple
carbohydrates also function like sugar To reduce your
triglycerides stay away from simple sugar and carbohydrates and
their kissing cousin, alcohol Complex carbohydrates like whole
grains are another matter They convert to triglycerides much
more slowly
Since triglycerides are fats, a diet high in fat is also a bad
idea But when I mention fats I have in mind mostly saturated
fats and of course anything that contains trans-fats Some fats
however should be consumed in large amounts in order to reduce
triglycerides These are polyunsaturated fats especially
omega-3 Omega-3 (particularly from fish sources) is well
documented to dramatically lower triglycerides In fact the
American Heart Association recommends 2 to 4 grams of omega-3
from DHA plus EPA every day for those trying to reduce
triglycerides That requires eating a whole lot of cold water
fatty fish You can also buy quality fish oil supplements But
buy from a trusted source to guarantee that you are getting what
you are paying for and nothing more, such as mercury
So what’s up with triglycerides? Now you know The main thing
that is up with triglycerides is poor dieting Fortunately this
is within our control We can be healthier if we choose to be
It simply takes a little awareness and a whole lot of
discipline So the next time you say, “What’s up, doc?” maybe
the response will not be, “Your triglycerides” Maybe it will
be, “Your health scores”
For more information on the causes of high triglycerides and the
diets that help reduce them use the links below
Triglyceride Causes
Triglyceride Reducing Diets

Tags | cholesterol, concern, conditions, disease, education, hypothyroidism, matters, medical, metabolism, nephrotic, triglyceride