How to Lower Your Triglyceride Level for Better Heart Health?

Answer 1

Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood which can increase your chance of developing Heart disease if they are allowed to get too high. They are formed when your body stores the calories that you don't immediately need in your fat cells. In order for your body to receive energy while you are not consuming food or drinks, the hormones in your body release triglycerides. This can become problematic if you routinely consume more calories than are necessary for your body to receive adequate energy. Carbohydrates and certain types of fats are especially prone to causing problems with high triglyceride levels.

How to Determine Your Triglyceride Level

To find out what your triglyceride level is, you will need to schedule an appointment with your doctor for a blood draw and fast for approximately 12 hours before it is done. Your number is determined by analyzing your blood, and a normal range is less than 150 milligrams of triglycerides for every decileter of blood. According to the American Heart Association, the following ranges are cause for concern: 150 to 199 mg/dL (milligrams per decileter) is considered borderline high, while 200 to 499 mg/dL is high and anything over 500 mg/dL is very high.

How Do Triglycerides Differ from Cholesterol?

Both triglycerides and cholesterol are types of lipids that circulate through your blood. The main difference between them is that the first provides your body with energy by storing unused calories while the latter is used by the body to build certain types of hormones and cells. What they share in common is that neither triglycerides or cholesterol has the ability to dissolve in blood, so an excess of either can lead to heart disease or a sudden heart attack.

How to Lower Your Triglyceride Level

If you are overweight, the best thing you can do to lower both your triglyceride and cholesterol level and lower your risk for heart disease is to make a sincere effort to lose weight. Other than that, you can also commit to getting more exercise, avoid foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates, eliminate trans fat from your diet and limit the amount of alcohol you consume. Since your body needs some fats, you can learn how to make healthier choices, such as fats found in plants and oils as opposed to animal fat.