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High Blood Pressure |
Cholesterol |
Heart |
Triglycerides
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If you've been keeping an eye on your
blood pressure and cholesterol levels, there's something
else you might need to monitor: your triglycerides.
Having a high level of triglycerides, a type of fat
(lipid) in your blood, can increase your risk of heart
disease. However, the same lifestyle choices that
promote overall health can help lower your
triglycerides, too. |
What are
triglycerides?:
Triglycerides are a type of lipid found in your blood.
When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn't
need to use right away into triglycerides. The
triglycerides are stored in your fat cells. Later,
hormones release triglycerides for energy between meals.
If you regularly eat more calories than you burn,
particularly "easy" calories like carbohydrates and
fats, you may have high triglycerides
(hypertriglyceridemia).
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What's
considered normal?:
A simple
blood test can reveal whether your triglycerides fall
into a healthy range.
- Normal — Less
than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or less
than 1.7 millimoles per L (mmol/L)
- Borderline high — 150 to 199 mg/dL (1.8 to 2.2
mmol/L)
- High — 200 to 499 mg/dL (2.3 to 5.6 mmol/L)
- Very high — 500 mg/dL or above (5.7 mmol/L or
above)
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Your doctor will usually check for high
triglycerides as part of a cholesterol test (sometimes
called a lipid panel or lipid profile). You'll have to
fast for nine to 12 hours before blood can be drawn for
an accurate triglyceride measurement. |
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What's
the difference between triglycerides and cholesterol?:
Triglycerides
and
cholesterol are separate types of lipids that circulate
in your blood.Triglycerides store unused calories and provide
your body with energy, and cholesterol is used
to build cells and certain hormones. Because
triglycerides and cholesterol can't dissolve in
blood, they circulate throughout your
body with
the help of proteins that transport the lipids
(lipoproteins). |
Why Do High Triglycerides Matter?:
Although it's unclear how, high triglycerides
may contribute to hardening of the arteries or
thickening of the artery walls (atherosclerosis)
— which increases the risk of stroke, heart
attack and heart disease. High triglycerides are
often a sign of other conditions that increase
the risk of heart disease and stroke as well,
including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a
cluster of conditions that includes too much fat
around the waist, high
blood
pressure, high triglycerides, high blood
sugar and abnormal cholesterol levels. Sometimes
high triglycerides are a sign of poorly
controlled type 2 diabetes, low levels of
thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism), liver or
kidney disease, or rare genetic conditions that
affect how your
body
converts fat to energy. High triglycerides could
also be a side effect of taking medications such
as beta blockers, birth control pills,
diuretics, steroids or the breast cancer drug
tamoxifen. What's the best way to lower
triglycerides? Healthy lifestyle choices are
key.
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- Lose
weight. If
you're overweight, losing 5 to 10 pounds can
help lower your triglycerides. Motivate
yourself by focusing on the benefits of
losing weight, such as more energy and
improved health.
- Cut back on calories. Remember
that extra calories are converted to
triglycerides and stored as fat. Reducing
your calories will reduce triglycerides.
- Avoid sugary and refined
foods. Simple
carbohydrates, such as sugar and
foods
made with white flour, can increase
triglycerides.
- Limit the cholesterol in your
diet. Aim
for no more than 300 milligrams (mg) of
cholesterol a day — or less than 200 mg if
you have heart disease. Avoid the most
concentrated sources of cholesterol,
including meats high in saturated fat, egg
yolks and whole milk products.
- Choose healthier fats. Trade
saturated fat found in meats for healthier
monounsaturated fat found in plants, such as
olive, peanut and canola oils. Substitute
fish high in omega-3 fatty acids — such as
mackerel and salmon — for red meat.
- Limit how much alcohol you
drink. Alcohol
is high in calories and sugar and has a
particularly potent effect on triglycerides.
Even small amounts of alcohol can raise
triglyceride levels.
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Eliminate trans
fat. Trans
fat can be found in fried
foods
and commercial baked products, such as
cookies, crackers and snack cakes. But don't
rely on packages that label their
foods
as free of trans fat. In the United States,
if a
food contains less than 0.5 grams of
trans fat per serving, it can be labeled
trans fat-free. Even though those amounts
seem small, they can add up quickly if you
eat a lot of
foods
containing small amounts of trans fat.
Instead, read the ingredients list. You can
tell that a
food
has trans fat in it if it contains partially
hydrogenated oil.
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Exercise
regularly. Aim
for at least 30 minutes of physical activity
on most or all days of the week. Regular
exercise can boost "good" cholesterol while
lowering "bad" cholesterol and
triglycerides. Take a brisk daily walk, swim
laps or join an exercise group. If you don't
have time to exercise for 30 minutes, try
squeezing it in 10 minutes at a time. Take a
short walk, climb the stairs at work, or try
some sit-ups or push-ups as you watch
television.
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It's also important to control
diabetes and high
blood
pressure if you have high triglycerides and
one of these conditions. |
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What about medication?:
If
healthy lifestyle changes aren't enough to
control high triglycerides, your doctor may
recommend medications that can help further
lower your triglycerides. Usually, the focus of
therapy is to lower high levels of the "bad"
cholesterol (LDL cholesterol), before addressing
high triglyceride levels. Medications to treat
high cholesterol include: |
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Niacin. Niacin,
sometimes called nicotinic acid, can lower
your triglycerides and your "bad"
cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or LDL,
cholesterol). Your doctor may prescribe a
niacin supplement, such as Niaspan. Don't
take over-the-counter niacin without talking
to your doctor first. Niacin can interact
with other medications and can cause
dangerous side effects if you overdose.
- Fibrates. Fibrate
medications, such as fenofibrate (Lofibra,
TriCor) and gemfibrozil (Lopid), can also
lower your triglyceride levels.
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Statins. If
you also have low high-density lipoprotein (HDL,
or "good") cholesterol or high low-density
lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol,
your doctor may prescribe
cholesterol-lowering statins or a
combination of a statin and niacin or
fibrates. Because of the risk of side
effects from statins, be sure to tell your
doctor if you experience any muscle
pain,
nausea, diarrhea or constipation.
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Omega-3 fatty
acid supplements. Omega-3
fatty acids supplements can help lower your
cholesterol. You can take over-the-counter
supplements, or your doctor may prescribe
Lovaza, a prescription omega-3 fatty acid
supplement, as a way to lower your
triglycerides. Lovaza may be taken with
another cholesterol-lowering medication,
such as a statin. If you choose to take
over-the-counter supplements, get your
doctor's OK first. Omega-3 fatty acid
supplements could affect other medications
you're taking.
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If your doctor prescribes
medication to lower your triglycerides, take the
medication as prescribed. And remember the
significance of the healthy lifestyle changes
you've made. Medications can help — but
lifestyle matters, too. |
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