When you've gotten a cholesterol test (also called a lipid panel or lipid profile), a very powerful value is your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, sometimes called “bad” cholesterol. High LDL levels closely track the arterial clogging process at the foundation of most heart disease. But a lipid panel also shows your blood levels of triglycerides, that are essentially the most common type of fat in food and in your bloodstream. Because levels rise after you eat, triglycerides should be measured after at the least eight hours of fasting to get an accurate reading for treatment decisions. When and why must you listen to your triglyceride value?
For healthy adults, a traditional level is lower than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), but 25% to 30% of Americans have values ​​above this level. Values ​​of 151 to 200 mg/dL are high. They are greater than 201 to 499, they usually are greater than 500 and more.
When does the chance start to extend?
How to Lower Triglycerides
The excellent news is that lifestyle changes can have a big effect on triglyceride levels.
“If people with high triglycerides eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and lose weight, they can lower their levels by more than 50 percent,” says Dr. Marston. These suggestions may help:
Choose carbohydrates correctly. Cut down on easily digestible carbohydrates like white bread, white rice, chips, sugar-laden breakfast cereals, and anything — including drinks — with a number of sugar.
See fat. Cut back on saturated fat from meat and butter, which may raise triglycerides. Try to eat more unsaturated fats from plants, oils and fish, which lower triglycerides.
Avoid excessive alcohol. Moderate drinking (one drink per day for girls, two for men) could also be appropriate. But less is healthier in case your triglycerides are high.
Proceed. Regular exercise lowers triglycerides.
Aim for a healthy weight. If you qualify as obese or obese, reaching a healthy body weight can bring your triglycerides back into the traditional range. Losing just 5% to 10% of your weight can assist.
Medication for top triglycerides
Triglyceride levels of 150 to 499 must be checked and treated for any underlying health problems, including diabetes, obesity, low thyroid levels (hypothyroidism), and liver or kidney disease. But when triglycerides remain high after addressing these issues and making lifestyle changes, medication could also be a superb idea, especially for people who find themselves in danger for heart disease.
Many people on this category are already taking a cholesterol-lowering statin, which lowers triglycerides by about 30 percent. Drugs often known as fibrates, including fenofibrate (Antara, Tricor, others) and gemfibrozil (Lopid) lower triglyceride levels by about 50%, but when added to statins, they reduce the chance of heart attack or stroke. They don't. Icosapent ethyl (Vascepa), a highly purified type of a selected fat in fish oil, lowers triglycerides by about 30%. And when individuals with diabetes or heart disease take icosapone ethyl with a statin, it reduces their risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from a heart attack by about 25 percent.
On the horizon
Very high triglyceride levels (500 mg/dL and above) sometimes have a genetic component. An extreme example is familial hyperchylomicronemia syndrome (FCS), which affects just one to 2 in 1,000,000. These people – whose blood appears milky attributable to excess fat – suffer from pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Serious cases could be fatal. Two investigational drugs, plozasiran and olezarsen, are RNA-targeted therapies that block a protein that controls triglyceride metabolism. Both drugs dramatically lower triglyceride levels and eliminate the chance of pancreatitis, Dr. Marston says. These drugs may be helpful in treating individuals with moderately elevated triglyceride levels, he added.
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