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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, March 19, 2010
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, March 19, 2010
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Diet and Nutrition |
Triglyceride levels03/19/1998 |
whats high for triglcide, and what do i do to bring it under control
Triglycerides are fatty substances circulating in the blood. The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), an NIH program which has written guidelines on managing cholesterol and triglycerides, categorizes triglyceride levels as follows:Normal <200mg/dl Borderline 200-400mg/dl High 400-1000mg/dl Very High >1000mg/dl
Triglycerides are often measured as part of a cholesterol profile. High triglycerides have some association with cardiovascular disease, but not to the same extent as high cholesterol levels. High triglyceride levels can be caused by a genetic disorder or may be secondary to poorly controlled diabetes.
There is much controversy about when to treat high triglycerides. Most experts would suggest aggressively treating very high levels, with medication if necessary, in order to prevent pancreatitis, a serious condition caused by severe hypertriglyceridemia. In addition, medical therapy may be beneficial for individuals with borderline or higher triglycerides who have coronary artery disease or a strong family history of early heart disease.
For otherwise healthy individuals, borderline and moderately high triglyceride levels may best be treated with dietary and lifestyle changes. The most beneficial changes are 1) decreasing saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet ; 2) loss weight if you are obese; 3) control diabetes as much as possible; 4) decrease alcohol intake. Monosaturated fats, as found in olive, sunflower or canola oils may be beneficial.(The ideal amount of monosaturated fat in the diet is currently being widely debated.) In addition, smoking cessation and regular exercise will help lower the risk of heart disease considerable.
For more information on a low fat diet see the weblinks below:
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Jill Foster, MD Assistant Professor Department of Family Medicine College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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