How do I decrease my Triglycerides?

[jrnunzio3]

Hi all,
Just got my bloodwork back from the dr. My cholesterol is a little high and my Triglycerides are high. How do I decrease my triglycerides and what the heck are my triglycerides. I know how to watch my cholesterol, so that won't be a problem. I bet it has something to do with eating the fried chicken and french fries the night before my test....
Thanks for any help.
Jenny

 

[npmommie]

some ideas,
cut down on sugar, white flour, alcohol, lowering the bad carbs basically,
things that make your blood sugar go up, can increase triglycerides.

 

[mla1977]

Watch what you eat. I think if you eat a diet meant for someone trying to lower your cholesterol over all, then your triglycerides will come down too. Exercise too. This fall was the first time that I had good results for a cholesterol test in a long time and I was in the middle of training for a half marathon.

 

[NotUrsula]

The simple way of putting it is that triglycerides are fats present in your bloodstream. And yes, eating a high-fat meal within less than 24 hours of a blood draw may definitely affect the result. If you are concerned, you might want to try asking for a re-test and making sure that you don't eat any major fatty/greasy things for 48 hours ahead.

That said, according to the American Heart Association, two of the best things you can do to lower these levels are to severely restrict consumption of alcohol, and to lower your intake of saturated fats, particularly animal fats. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4778

 

[NY Disney fan]

You only need to do 2 things:

- Exercise (consistently) - 30 min a day
- Eat the right foods. you know what they are.

If those don't work, then the docotor will probably prescribe drugs. Try not to take this route.

 

[TinklednPants]

Divide by three

 

[rwdavis2]

Fish oil can help.

 

[brerrabbit]

I have high triglicerides and am on medication for them. My reseach goes pretty much in line with what everyone here has said about cutting out fats, sugar, alchohol and exercising. Here is the real bummer though. Two things can also elevate them and you only have control of one of them. They are heridity and weight. I am overweight (although I have lost 37 pounds since December) and as a result your body puts off triglicerides. They are the stored fat that turns back into sugars when you need them because your body is deprived of them. Heridity is what it is so bad genes can lead to higher levels.

So besides watching what you eat to lower them you gotta lose weight also and get rid of body fat.

 

[jrnunzio3]

I have high triglicerides and am on medication for them. My reseach goes pretty much in line with what everyone here has said about cutting out fats, sugar, alchohol and exercising. Here is the real bummer though. Two things can also elevate them and you only have control of one of them. They are heridity and weight. I am overweight (although I have lost 37 pounds since December) and as a result your body puts off triglicerides. They are the stored fat that turns back into sugars when you need them because your body is deprived of them. Heridity is what it is so bad genes can lead to higher levels.

So besides watching what you eat to lower them you gotta lose weight also and get rid of body fat.

Congratulations on your weight loss! I have lost about 20 pounds since October (not really trying, too much stress). I quit my stressful job and I have been home for the past 2 1/2 weeks. I start a new (hopefully less stressful job on Tuesday) and will only be working part time as opposed to full time. I should have a lot more time to exercise and to make healthy dinners.

Thanks to everyone for their advise. I would rather not go on meds, so I will have to try to decrease these with exercise (which I hate).
Jen

 

[3prettyprincesses]

My endocrinologist told me to take fish oil (keep it in the fridge) and to limit my sugar and refined carbs like white flour. It worked too, I went from triglycerides of 325 to 100 in about 3 months. Good luck!

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

My endocrinologist told me to take fish oil (keep it in the fridge) and to limit my sugar and refined carbs like white flour. It worked too, I went from triglycerides of 325 to 100 in about 3 months. Good luck!

What brand do you use, where did you find it? Thanks.

 

[claudia]

My endocrinologist told me to take fish oil (keep it in the fridge) and to limit my sugar and refined carbs like white flour. It worked too, I went from triglycerides of 325 to 100 in about 3 months. Good luck!

that's just what I was going to recommend...DH has diabetes and has found this to really work to keep them at a normal level.

AlexWyattMommy, we buy Norwegian Salmon Oil, 3000 mg, made by Olympian Labs.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

Is that something I can find at a CVS/Walgreens or is it on-line only?

 

[jrnunzio3]

My endocrinologist told me to take fish oil (keep it in the fridge) and to limit my sugar and refined carbs like white flour. It worked too, I went from triglycerides of 325 to 100 in about 3 months. Good luck!

Is this a pill? I just keep thinking it is liquid form and would taste like caster oil. The I Love Lucy episode is coming to mind.......

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

I see that too.

 

[pumba]

Pasta and breads are a big factor in Triglycerides going up. Hard to give up comfort food but it is a big factor in our readings for that and also our blood sugar results.
Any fish oil will do ....try to get the one with the omega 3 or 6 level with it....it can be at walmart or your local stores....works for me and It does not make you taste like fishy or anything.

 

[claudia]

Is that something I can find at a CVS/Walgreens or is it on-line only?

we buy it at mothernature.com...we use the monthly auto-delivery and it saves us 5%....plus I don't have to remember to pick it up....

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

Thank you. I will look into that.

 

[minkydog]

I have high triglicerides and am on medication for them. My reseach goes pretty much in line with what everyone here has said about cutting out fats, sugar, alchohol and exercising. Here is the real bummer though. Two things can also elevate them and you only have control of one of them. They are heridity and weight. I am overweight (although I have lost 37 pounds since December) and as a result your body puts off triglicerides. They are the stored fat that turns back into sugars when you need them because your body is deprived of them. Heridity is what it is so bad genes can lead to higher levels.

So besides watching what you eat to lower them you gotta lose weight also and get rid of body fat.

I agree. I have congentially high lipids. I've been trying for literally years to get my numbers down, with and without drugs. Last spring I hit an all-time high of 497. Critical mass. I was already taking Niaspan, specifically for triglycerides and my doctor doubled that.

With high triglycerides comes the high risk of type 2 diabetes. There is a strong connection between higher than avg blood sugar and high trigs. Obviously, that means lose the sugar, desserts, white flour/potatoes/rice/pasta, lower your fat intake, eat more green leafies and lean meat. Learn to like water or sweeteners(in limited quantities.) If you aren't used to working out it might be worth a few $$$ to hire a trainer to get you started and oversee your program for a month or so.

In my case,I DID develop type 2 diabetes and that scared me worse than the high triglycerides. Together it puts me at much higher risk for heart disease. I started counting carbs & cals and have so far lost 47-lbs. At this point my trigs are 147, pretty impressive change I think. My LDL(bad chol.) is now normal, HDL(good chol.) is still very low. Total chol is about 150; I haven't been below 200 in 10 years. I work out 3 times a week, still not as much as I should but I'm doing 3 times better than I was. My blood sugars are in good control and I have more energy. Hope you will have the same results or better.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

What brand do you use, where did you find it? Thanks.

Is that something I can find at a CVS/Walgreens or is it on-line only?

I used the Nature Made fish oil and kept it in the fridge. You can find it at Target or CVS.

Is this a pill? I just keep thinking it is liquid form and would taste like caster oil. The I Love Lucy episode is coming to mind.......

No, it's not liquid! It's capsules.