Very High Triglyceride Levels

Triglycerides are early stage fats made up of one molecule of glycerin and three molecules of fat. Some triglycerides are necessary for providing energy, building cholesterol, and building fatty tissue but very high triglyceride levels are dangerous, and can greatly increase a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke.

Triglycerides are acquired through externally through diet and internally produced by the liver using carbohydrates, alcohol, and some of the cholesterol in food. The normal ratio is approximately 95 percent from foods and 5 percent internally. Nevertheless there are circumstances that can skew these ratios and produce dangerously high triglycerides.

There are certain health conditions that can cause very high triglycerides such as poorly controlled diabetes, an under active thyroid, and kidney disease. Certain lifestyle choices can also cause blood triglyceride levels to spike, including eating more calories than you burn, drinking a lot of alcohol, and smoking. Even certain otherwise useful medications such as beta-blockers, diuretics, estrogen, tamoxifen, and steroids can cause very high triglyceride levels. And finally, this condition can also run in families.

But you may be wondering what triglyceride reading would qualify for being very high? The breakdown goes something like this: normal is less the 150 mg/dl; borderline high is 150 to 199; high is 200 to 499; very high is 500 or higher. So when we are talking about very high triglyceride levels we are generally speaking about someone whose blood triglyceride readings are over 500 mg/dl, but realistically anything over 150 mg/dl should be taken seriously.

What can be done to reduce very high triglyceride levels?

By working with your doctor you should be able to either identify or rule out any medication or condition that could be contributing to your dangerously high triglyceride levels and make the proper adjustments. After that it will boil down to making some changes in diet, exercise, and health habits. It is not uncommon for a person who is overweight, physically inactive, drinks and smokes lot, and consistently consumes a diet high in fat and carbohydrates to have very high triglyceride levels.

According to the American Heart Association the best way to reduce triglyceride levels is by staying away from cigarette smoke, setting aside at least 30 minutes or more each day for physical activity, holding saturated fat intake to under 10 percent of calories, and reduce the consumption of any rapidly metabolizing carbohydrates such as such as processed flour or simple sugars.

What else? Sometimes changes in lifestyle may not quite be enough to bring very high blood triglycerides into a healthy range. In these instances a prescription medication or natural cholesterol reduction supplement may be needed. Talk to your doctor to find out what is right for you.

Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of safe and effective high quality alternative health products and natural living, with over 10 years experience in the field. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at Purchase Remedies.com

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