High Triglycerides: Risks, Causes, and Treatment

High triglycerides levels, also known as hypertriglyceridemia may not cause symptoms.

However, its high levels can indicate underlying issues and are risk factors that lead to a number of health conditions.

In people with other risk factors, regular tests for triglyceride levels are important.

This is because doctors can easily identify when they raise and check for related diseases including high cholesterol.

With the help of dietary changes and an increase in physical activity, you can form the first line of treatment to bring down high triglycerides.

Moreover, in some cases, doctors can also recommend medications to speed up this effect.

General guidelines recommend that most healthy adults should get a test to check the levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, and both HDL and LDL.

While the increase in levels falls into categories of Moderate hypertriglyceridemia: 150–499 mg/dl, Severe hypertriglyceridemia: 500 mg/dl or more, and Very severe hypertriglyceridemia: 880 mg/dl or more.

Keep on reading to learn more about high triglycerides.

Risk of High Triglycerides Levels

It is important to note that triglycerides are a type of fat.

According to the American Heart Association, AHA, triglycerides are the most common type of fat in the body.

Though your body naturally makes triglycerides, some may come from the food you consume.

Moreover, when you eat a meal, your body takes the excess calories that it does not immediately need and turns them into triglycerides.

This can cause triglyceride levels to rise temporarily after a meal.

Your body stores this as fat to bur when it needs energy between meals.

Regular eating too many calories can lead to high triglycerides levels and if your body cannot burn off these calories, and stores them as fat, you can have higher triglyceride levels overall.

Furthermore, having consistent high triglyceride levels can increase your risk of some health issues like atherosclerosis.

In this condition, triglycerides mix with other substances in the blood, like cholesterol, and stick to the wall of the arteries.

This causes them to narrow.

Atherosclerosis is a risk factor for heart disease and serious cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.

Also, high triglyceride levels can also increase the risk of other issues in the organs.

These can include fat accumulation in the liver or pancreas.

A buildup of fat can lead to inflammation and dysfunction in these areas if you do not seek treatment.

Severely high levels of triglycerides can also cause pancreatitis.

However, research in JAMA Internal Medicine found that even mild to moderate high triglycerides which authors define as nonfasting levels of 177 milligrams per deciliter, mg/dL, and above are associated with an increase in the risk of pancreatitis.

Additionally, high triglycerides themselves do not cause symptoms.

But the only sure way to identify the issue and seek medical advice is to test for high triglyceride levels.

Your doctor can suggest when and how often you need lipid screening depending on your age and cardiovascular risk factors.

Different Triglyceride Levels

Triglycerides are common fat in your bloodstream and there is also a normal part of your body.

Moreover, they are important for your body.

It is only when levels get abnormally high, that you may be at risk of negative health effects.

With the help of testing, you can find triglyceride levels in your blood.

As triglyceride levels increase, they tend to fall into the categories below:

• Moderate hypertriglyceridemia: 150–499 mg/dl
• Severe hypertriglyceridemia: 500 mg/dl or more
• Very severe hypertriglyceridemia: 880 mg/dl or more

However, desirable fasting levels of triglycerides are less than 150 mg/dL.

Triglyceride screening is often just one part of the lipid profile blood test.

Moreover, this test also checks for total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, LDL or bad cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein, HDL or good cholesterol.

Your doctor can make specific recommendations ahead of the test.

For instance, they may ask you to fast for 8 to 12 hours beforehand.

Getting Tested

The ideal frequency of testing depends on your age and other cardiovascular risk factors.

According to the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, adults should undergo a cholesterol test every 4 to 6 years.

The standard cholesterol test or lipid profile will help measure triglyceride levels.

Moreover, the test is simple and requires taking blood to test the contents.

You may also need to fast before the test.

This is because fasting can help avoid the natural rise in triglyceride levels that occur right after a meal.

It will help your doctor get a better idea of baseline levels.

Casues of High Triglycerides

Triglyceride levels can fluctuate naturally in response to a number of factors.

These include calorie intake and time of the day.

Eating a meal can cause an increase in triglyceride, which your body may store to use later when it needs energy.

However, these fluctuations are usually short-lived.

But they are part of the reason why doctors may ask you to fast before getting a lipid profile blood test.

While some health conditions can also increase the risk of high triglyceride levels.

According to AHA, these are:

• pregnancy
• metabolic syndrome
• insulin resistance
• having excess body weight or obesity
• diabetes
• hypothyroidism
• kidney disease
• inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis

Moreover, in some cases, you may also have inherited geans that predispose you to high triglyceride levels.

Overall your diet trends also affect blood triglycerides including excess sugar intake, especially from processed foods, high intake of saturated fats, alcohol consumption, and excess calorie intake.

While some medications can also be responsible for changes in triglyceride levels.

These are:

• diuretics
• steroids
• beta-blockers
• immunosuppressant drugs
• hormone medications

Thus, if you are uncertain about the side effects of your specific medication, seek medical advice or speak with your doctor.

Treatment Options

You can use a few treatments to help lower the high triglyceride levels:

Diet

Eating a healthy, balanced diet, and exercising regularly is a key to maintaining healthy blood triglyceride levels.

You can adopt these measures immediately to bring down the levels.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, doctors may advise making these changes before they prescribe medications.

Moreover, they can also recommend they you reduce the intake of:

• sugars
• alcohol
• foods high in saturated fats
• foods high in trans fat

A report in the journal circulation notes that a focus on a heart-healthy diet can help bring triglyceride levels down naturally.

Furthermore, a heart-healthy diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and healthy proteins like low-fat dairy, low-fat poultry, fish, seafood, and nontropical vegetable oils.

You can adjust this diet to suit your calorie needs and food preferences.

Exercise

Exercise is an important factor for your overall health and is an excellent way to burn extra calories and work out your heart and other muscles.

The physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults should aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week.

In case you are new to exercise and feel as though you cannot accomplish these goals, you can consider working with a doctor or physical therapist.

These healthcare professionals can help to create a workout plan that gradually introduces exercise and builds it up to these recommended levels.

Medications

In some cases, doctors can recommend medications to lower high triglycerides.

They can do this if changes to diet and exercise prove ineffective or if it is critical that you get your triglyceride levels down quickly.

In such cases, doctors can prescribe medications like:

• prescription strength fish oil
• statins
• fibrates

Each of these medications has its own effects and can interact with other drugs.

You should make the doctor aware of any other medications you are taking so that you can create a treatment plan that avoids drug interactions.

When to See a Doctor?

In case high triglyceride levels are not often the cause of symptoms, if you are uncertain or concerned about your triglyceride levels, you should consult your doctor.

Moreover, any adult who has not had a lipid profile test in the last 4 to 6 years should speak with a doctor about their cardiovascular risk factors and the possible need for the test.

Catching elevated levels of health markers like triglycerides or cholesterol at an early stay can help you to make changes earlier to address the underlying issue.

Final Thoughts

High triglycerides, often do not cause symptoms, however, levels of triglycerides and other markers like cholesterol can be important indicators. Guidelines recommend that most healthy adults should take a test to check these levels every 4 to 6 years.

While temporary fluctuations in triglyceride levels are normal, issues that can increase their level may need treatment. With the help of simple diet and lifestyle choices, you can help lower high triglycerides. Moreover, you can talk with a doctor to find specific treatments based on personal factors.

To lower high triglycerides you can lower calorie intake, choose the right fats, have fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and nuts,  reduce sugar, carbs, soft drinks, exercise, or take drugs after consulting your doctor or healthcare professional. According to AHA, triglyceride levels of up to 150 mg/dL are within the normal range, while they recommend keeping levels below 100 mg/dL for optimum health.