What are triglycerides and does it matter if you have high triglyceride levels?
Beyond keeping track of your blood pressure and cholesterol, there's another number to you need to know - triglycerides.
These fatty particles in your plasma are key to your heart health, but they don't get any were near the attention that cholesterol does.
Approximately one third of American adults have either borderline or high triglyceride levels, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control that's just been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
So, if you've had your cholesterol levels tested, you were probably told by the doctor that triglycerides at levels of 150 to 199 milligrams per deciliter are borderline high; and over 200 milligrams per deciliter are considered too high.
Note: Cholesterol is measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood in the United States and other countries, while Canada and many Europe countries measures cholesterol in millimoles per liter of blood.
It's been found that very high triglyceride levels can cause inflammation of the pancreas.
Males are more likely than females, and Caucasians at higher potential risk than African Americans or Mexican Americans to have higher triglyceride levels.
And if you have other risks of heart disease you really should take this risks seriously and do something about them.
This is specifically a concern if your waist measurement is over 40 inches (101.6 centimeters) if you're a man, and more that than 35 inches (88.9 centimeters) if you're a woman - this body shape makes you more likely to develop heart disease problems.
If you're overweight, not active enough, drink too much or eating lots of saturated fat you likely have triglyceride levels that are higher.
Hormones then release the triglycerides to give you energy between meals. Of course if you're eating more calories than you burn, like so many of us do, you'll probably have high triglycerides (known technically as hypertriglyceridemia).
Cholesterol testing involves a simple blood test, known as a lipid panel, or lipid profile to check your cholesterol levels. This can check your LDL and HDL cholesterol levels, and these often sadly overlooked triglyceride levels.
The best lower high triglyceride levels is to lose the extra weight - which can only happen if you eat right and are sufficiently active.
Swapping to healthy fats and removinf unhealthy one is a good start as well, especially if your triglycerides are between 155 and 500 milligrams per deciliter.
You'll also increase your intake of soluble fiber found in foods like oatmeal, beans, fruits and veggies.
Only when lifestyle adaptation is not enough, other alternatives like medication like statins, fibrates, niacin and fish oil that may also be helpful - Although do discuss these options with your doctor first.
Even if you do everything right, including a good diet and sufficient exercise, it's possible that genetics (close family members with high cholesterol or heart disease) might make you more prone to having it.
If there is a family history of high cholesterol, you may want to get a baseline cholesterol test by age 20 (or as early as you can), and follow-ups every five years.
Catching the problem early gives you the best chance to treat conditions right off the bat and retain your health.
Dr. Barge Nordestgaard of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark believes that high triglyceride levels are as dangerous as high cholesterol to your heart health.
If your triglyceride numbers are higher than they should be, now is the time to make the appropriate changes to bring high triglyceride levels down.
Beyond keeping track of your blood pressure and cholesterol, there's another number to you need to know - triglycerides.
These fatty particles in your plasma are key to your heart health, but they don't get any were near the attention that cholesterol does.
Approximately one third of American adults have either borderline or high triglyceride levels, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control that's just been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
So, if you've had your cholesterol levels tested, you were probably told by the doctor that triglycerides at levels of 150 to 199 milligrams per deciliter are borderline high; and over 200 milligrams per deciliter are considered too high.
Note: Cholesterol is measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood in the United States and other countries, while Canada and many Europe countries measures cholesterol in millimoles per liter of blood.
It's been found that very high triglyceride levels can cause inflammation of the pancreas.
Males are more likely than females, and Caucasians at higher potential risk than African Americans or Mexican Americans to have higher triglyceride levels.
And if you have other risks of heart disease you really should take this risks seriously and do something about them.
This is specifically a concern if your waist measurement is over 40 inches (101.6 centimeters) if you're a man, and more that than 35 inches (88.9 centimeters) if you're a woman - this body shape makes you more likely to develop heart disease problems.
If you're overweight, not active enough, drink too much or eating lots of saturated fat you likely have triglyceride levels that are higher.
Hormones then release the triglycerides to give you energy between meals. Of course if you're eating more calories than you burn, like so many of us do, you'll probably have high triglycerides (known technically as hypertriglyceridemia).
Cholesterol testing involves a simple blood test, known as a lipid panel, or lipid profile to check your cholesterol levels. This can check your LDL and HDL cholesterol levels, and these often sadly overlooked triglyceride levels.
The best lower high triglyceride levels is to lose the extra weight - which can only happen if you eat right and are sufficiently active.
Swapping to healthy fats and removinf unhealthy one is a good start as well, especially if your triglycerides are between 155 and 500 milligrams per deciliter.
You'll also increase your intake of soluble fiber found in foods like oatmeal, beans, fruits and veggies.
Only when lifestyle adaptation is not enough, other alternatives like medication like statins, fibrates, niacin and fish oil that may also be helpful - Although do discuss these options with your doctor first.
Even if you do everything right, including a good diet and sufficient exercise, it's possible that genetics (close family members with high cholesterol or heart disease) might make you more prone to having it.
If there is a family history of high cholesterol, you may want to get a baseline cholesterol test by age 20 (or as early as you can), and follow-ups every five years.
Catching the problem early gives you the best chance to treat conditions right off the bat and retain your health.
Dr. Barge Nordestgaard of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark believes that high triglyceride levels are as dangerous as high cholesterol to your heart health.
If your triglyceride numbers are higher than they should be, now is the time to make the appropriate changes to bring high triglyceride levels down.
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