To understand how we can begin lowering triglycerides, it helps to have a basic knowledge of where they come from!

When you eat, your blood sugar rises, and your blood sugar is supposed to rise - everybody's does! Your pancreas then releases insulin (this may sound familiar if you know any diabetics who take insulin). A function of insulin is to convert the sugar in your blood to a blood fat called triglycerides. Triglycerides are a sticky, fatty substance and can't remain in your blood for too long or you will form clots. That's where cholesterol comes in. Now, there are 2 types of cholesterol that we talk about HDL ('H' is healthy so it's good), and LDL ('L' is lousy so it's bad). The good cholesterol (HDL) carries the triglycerides back to your liver to clean out your bloodstream, lowering triglycerides and what's left along the way is the LDL (bad cholesterol). This is the stuff that forms clots. You want your LDL to be less than 2.5 (or less than 2 if you're a diabetic).

Now that you know that triglycerides are a direct result of the sugar that you take in, you can understand how eating foods that are lower in sugar and flour will help make your triglycerides lower. The foods that rise your blood sugar the least, like whole grains, and vegetables are referred to as 'low glycemic index foods', and these are the foods you want to eat more of! Exercise will also help blunt the rise in sugar after you eat, to help make your triglycerides lower. If you follow a low glycemic index diet and make your triglycerides lower, you will in turn, make your bad cholesterol lower. If you want to try this, ask your doctor. It will take about 2 weeks for your lifestyle changes to make your cholesterol lower and you AND your doctor can see this happen on your blood work! A lot of patients find this measure of success very exciting!

I don't want to change my diet or exercise!  Is there anything else I can try?

These lifestyle changes are the best way to make your cholesterol lower, and your triglycerides lower.  However, lifestyle changes are often very difficult for most people.  Don't beat yourself up about this.  There are a few other things you can try. 

Niacin is a vitamin, that in large doses, will help to raise your good HDL cholesterol.  Niacin often causes flushing, and you will need to check with your doctor to determine the correct dose.  Omega 3 fatty acids in large doses will help make your triglycerides lower and it's a good idea to take these because most of us are omega 3 deficient.  The correct dose of omega 3 fatty acids for lowering triglycerides is 2-4 grams per day.  You should check with your doctor to see if this treatment is right for you.

If these fail, your doctor will usually suggest starting you on a statin medication.  Statins are drugs which help reduce the amount of cholesterol that your body makes.  They are generally very safe drugs.  Before starting any of these therapies, you should check with your doctor to make sure that you receive the right dose for you.  Statins also should not be taken if you have liver problems so your doctor will also order blood tests to make sure that your liver is healthy.

Follow your doctor's advice to lowering triglycerides.  Make small changes to your lifestyle - starting is the hard part so just get out there and exercise lightly for 5 minutes a day if you can!  Soon you'll be well on your way to staying healthy and happy!