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You keep an eye on your cholesterol, but do you take care of your triglycerides? You don't have to eat fatty foods to have too much of them. It's enough that you like sweets … Meet a diet that will keep your triglycerides normal.

When isa diet with elevated triglycerides needed ? Triglycerides (triglycerides) are an organic fatty substance (lipid) that is the body's largest energy store. We eat them with animal and vegetable fat. Moreover, they are produced in the liver from fatty acids and carbohydrates, mainly simple ones.

If you eat fatty foods, often reach for sweets, even fat-free, or regularly drink alcoholic beverages, the body transforms the excess energy into triglycerides, which it accumulates in fat cells. Everyone needs a certain amount of triglycerides to stay he althy and function normally. As in the case of cholesterol, its excess becomes dangerous.

Why is high triglyceride levels dangerous?

Excess triglycerides lead to obesity, diabetes, heart and circulatory system diseases. The little fat balls are harmful to the heart and liver. Like other fats, triglycerides are not soluble in water. That is why they circulate in the blood in combination with proteins produced by the liver, forming complex compounds - lipoproteins. They are in the form of small fat globules surrounded by proteins. VLDL lipoproteins contain the most triglycerides, while LDL and HDL lipoproteins are mainly cholesterol carriers.

Triglycerides and cholesterol

Excessive levels of triglycerides in the blood (hypertriglyceridemia) are mostly observed in obese people. This increases the risk of atherosclerotic lesions and coronary heart disease. Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes often go hand in hand. Atherosclerosis develops faster when elevated triglycerides are accompanied by a reduction in HDL good cholesterol.

However, the worst situation is those who have both elevated levels of triglycerides, as well as total and bad cholesterol. High triglycerides with low total cholesterol are most often the result of insufficient amounts of the enzyme converting VLDL fractions into further metabolites. It usually affects people with diabetes. Hypertriglyceridemia (mainlyover 500 mg / dl) leads to inflammation and damage to the pancreas and fatty liver.

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Author: Time S.A

Remember that a properly selected diet will lower the concentration of "bad" cholesterol and help in the fight against cardiovascular diseases. Take advantage of JeszCoLubisz - the innovative dietary system of the He alth Guide and enjoy an individually selected plan and constant care of a dietitian. Take care of your he alth and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack or stroke.

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Normal triglycerides - check your result

According to the guidelines of the Polish Prevention Forum, correct lipid values ​​in an adult should be:

  • triglycerides- less than 150 mg / dL (1.7 mmol / L),
  • total cholesterol - less than 190 mg / dl (5 mmol / l),
  • LDL fraction - less than 115 mg / dL (3 mmol / L),
  • HDL: Men - Over 40 mg / dL (1 mmol / L), Women - Over 45 mg / dL (1.2 mmol / L).

Increased triglyceride levels - causes

We usually fund high levels of fats ourselves. When a family inclination is combined with dietary mistakes, the risk of lipid disorders increases. The unhe althy lifestyle that is common today is contributing to the problems. We are overfed since childhood, we develop bad eating habits.

Excess energy is influenced by excessive consumption of fats and sugar as well as lack of exercise. Meanwhile, we force our muscles to work less and less. Therefore, the body cannot cope with fat management. In order for it to function flawlessly, the energy delivered to the cells should be used up. The way we live breaks this closed circle. As a result, the amount of fat in the body exceeds the norm.

  • Lipidogram - test to determine the level of lipids
  • Anticholesterol diet for people with high cholesterol
  • Exercises to lower cholesterol

How to lower the triglyceride level? Low-calorie diet and exercise

The basis of a he althy lifestyle is limiting simple carbohydrates and increasing physical activity. Avoid foods that contain sugar - they increase the production of VLDL, a carrier of triglycerides. Give up alcohol, including red wine and beer, as they increase the level of triglycerides. Choose coarse products, eat lots of vegetables and fruits.

With hypertriglyceridemia, you do not follow a low-fat diet (fats should account for 30-35% of energy). However, be careful not to exceed the norm. The type of fat is important. Avoid fatty meat, lard, butter, and full-fat dairy products.Replace animal fats with vegetable fats, remembering that the total amount should not exceed 2 tablespoons a day. Don't feel sorry for oily sea fish (mackerel, salmon, herring, halibut) - they contain omega-3 fatty acids, which lower triglycerides and increase the concentration of good cholesterol.

It's good to know that hypertriglyceridemia is often accompanied by HDL deficiency. If you do not like fish, consider supplementing with, for example, fish oil. If you also have elevated levels of total or bad cholesterol, you must limit your fat intake as advised by your doctor. People with diabetes, hypothyroidism, pancreatic or kidney diseases, apart from triglyceride deposition, should treat the underlying disease.

Regularly check your lipid levels

The best determination of the lipid profile - it consists in determining the level of total cholesterol, its LDL and HDL fractions and triglycerides in the blood. Only on the basis of all the results can the actual fat management be assessed. The first measurement should be performed around the age of 20. If the result is good, the test should be repeated every 5 years. Women over 50 and men over 45 should get a lipid profile every year. If the result is abnormal, the control analyzes are repeated as indicated by the doctor.

This will be useful to you

Types of cholesterol

Total- is part of cell membranes, participates in the production of hormones, the synthesis of bile acids necessary for the digestion of fats, in the production of vitamin D. When there is too much of it, it accumulates in the inner walls of blood vessels, leading to the development of atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, infarction or stroke.

LDL (bad)- high-low-density lipoproteins in a thin protein shell. They easily penetrate the bloodstream, playing a major role in the development of atherosclerosis. People with elevated LDL levels are at greater risk of developing the disease than those with elevated total cholesterol levels.

HDL (good)- lipoproteins, which have more protein than cholesterol, but are more dense. They do not remain in the vessels, but collect some LDL cholesterol and transport it to the liver, from where it is excreted after conversion into bile acids. The more of it in the blood, the lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

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