So my triglycerides are high?
Khovde07
Posts: 508 Member
I've been back on MFP consistently since October. Before that, it was consistent from January to May (work made staying on track impossible over the summer, long story). Every year at my job we are put through a health test to determine if we're healthy enough to perform the tasks we need to do. This includes a blood test. For the past few years, my triglycerides have been just above normal and slightly into "high" range. Since October, I've been consistently logging, making healthier choices, exercising, upping my water intake, dropping weight, etc.
I just got this year's blood test back and my triglycerides sky-rocketed (almost doubled) into the "very high" range. I can't figure out what caused this. I looked up how to lower your triglycerides and I'm already doing almost everything on the list and have been for several months. The only thing I can think to change is to cut back slightly on carbs and starchy veggies, even though I haven't increased how many carbs I eat as I've lost weight. I don't really like sugar, so I'm not packing in the sweets, and what I was eating I've cut back on to help with my weight loss. Everything else on my blood work, including my fasting glucose was well within normal range. My husband thinks this particular result might have been a fluke somehow, but I'm not convinced.
I have my yearly physical coming up in a couple months and planned to discuss this with my doctor then but I was hoping someone could help me figure it out in the mean time.
Here's my stats:
Age: 27
Height: 5'6"
SW: 227
CW: 207
Exercise: 2-4 days per week depending on schedule. Mixture of cardio and weightlifting
Family history: Diabetes (grandparents) and heart disease (grandparents and father)
I just got this year's blood test back and my triglycerides sky-rocketed (almost doubled) into the "very high" range. I can't figure out what caused this. I looked up how to lower your triglycerides and I'm already doing almost everything on the list and have been for several months. The only thing I can think to change is to cut back slightly on carbs and starchy veggies, even though I haven't increased how many carbs I eat as I've lost weight. I don't really like sugar, so I'm not packing in the sweets, and what I was eating I've cut back on to help with my weight loss. Everything else on my blood work, including my fasting glucose was well within normal range. My husband thinks this particular result might have been a fluke somehow, but I'm not convinced.
I have my yearly physical coming up in a couple months and planned to discuss this with my doctor then but I was hoping someone could help me figure it out in the mean time.
Here's my stats:
Age: 27
Height: 5'6"
SW: 227
CW: 207
Exercise: 2-4 days per week depending on schedule. Mixture of cardio and weightlifting
Family history: Diabetes (grandparents) and heart disease (grandparents and father)
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Replies
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I read somewhere when you are in the process of losing weight and you are using stored body fat for energy, your triglycerides can be elevated. Your body mobilizes body fat in the form of free fatty acids which I think is a triglyceride, and they are circulating in your blood stream to supply your body with energy. I believe I read about this on the "Wheat Belly" website. It does make sense if you think about it but maybe research about high triglycerides during weight loss.0
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Have you been eating low fat? Ironically, that can make your triglycerides spike.
Try limiting your starches, using whole grains when you do have any, and incorporating healthy fats like avocados, olive oil and nuts.0 -
You should definitely talk to your GP. I assume he or she will do routine bloodwork again? Go in armed with all your questions.0
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This is definitely something to discuss with your dr. I am on 3 cholesterol meds and have been working on getting my numbers from 798 to normal change for about 10 years now.
Were you fasting when you had the blood work done? What did you eat the day before? The answers to both those questions can have major effects on the numbers that come out in the blood work.0 -
Get an appointment with your dr to discuss what you need to do. Especially with a history of heart disease in the family, this is not something I would experiment with and not something I would postpone. Good luck.0
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concordancia wrote: »Have you been eating low fat? Ironically, that can make your triglycerides spike.
Try limiting your starches, using whole grains when you do have any, and incorporating healthy fats like avocados, olive oil and nuts.
I haven't been doing any particular diet such as low fat, etc. other than CICO. If I'm doing lower fat it's probably just a result of lower calories/healthier eating. Limiting the starches is my current plan. I'm looking for low carb/low starch recipes but it's hard when I'm very picky about my veggies and trying to watch my sodium intake.This is definitely something to discuss with your dr. I am on 3 cholesterol meds and have been working on getting my numbers from 798 to normal change for about 10 years now.
Were you fasting when you had the blood work done? What did you eat the day before? The answers to both those questions can have major effects on the numbers that come out in the blood work.
Yes it was a fasting test. I don't recall what I ate the day before. This test was done a few weeks ago and we just got the results back.
I've done some looking into whether or not weight loss can spike your triglyceride levels and it looks like the release of fat in your cells (from weight loss) can release triglycerides into your bloodstream which would effect a blood panel. Here's a science-based article I found - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-you-lose-weight-wher/0 -
I have also had a history of high triglycerides. For me it's my sugar intake. I have a goal of less than 30g of sugar per day and I try to get as much fiber as possible (over 25g). This combination has worked wonders and dropped my Triglycerides to a normal level along with my total cholesterol. It's really hard to adjust initially to a low sugar diet, but it's amazing the results you get. Good luck with your journey!0
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Stay away from booze. Exercise.0
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I have also had a history of high triglycerides. For me it's my sugar intake. I have a goal of less than 30g of sugar per day and I try to get as much fiber as possible (over 25g). This combination has worked wonders and dropped my Triglycerides to a normal level along with my total cholesterol. It's really hard to adjust initially to a low sugar diet, but it's amazing the results you get. Good luck with your journey!
I'm below my daily sugar goal by a pretty wide margin everyday. I much prefer salty to sweet.ogmomma2012 wrote: »Stay away from booze. Exercise.
I actually don't drink very often. Less than once a month. And I'm exercising 2-4 days a week averaging about 45 minutes per workout with a mixture of cardio and weights.0 -
I have also had a history of high triglycerides. For me it's my sugar intake. I have a goal of less than 30g of sugar per day and I try to get as much fiber as possible (over 25g). This combination has worked wonders and dropped my Triglycerides to a normal level along with my total cholesterol. It's really hard to adjust initially to a low sugar diet, but it's amazing the results you get. Good luck with your journey!
I'm below my daily sugar goal by a pretty wide margin everyday. I much prefer salty to sweet.ogmomma2012 wrote: »Stay away from booze. Exercise.
I actually don't drink very often. Less than once a month. And I'm exercising 2-4 days a week averaging about 45 minutes per workout with a mixture of cardio and weights.
^_^ Good. I have high triglycerides too. I am doing very low carb with exercise and abstaining from alcohol because cholesterol problems run in my family, and so I might already have a hard time with normal levels.0 -
It could have nothing to do with the healthy changes you have made. Your heredity may simply have caught up with you. You may need medication to control high triglyceride levels.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15584350 -
Are you eating a lot of meat?0
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I read somewhere when you are in the process of losing weight and you are using stored body fat for energy, your triglycerides can be elevated. Your body mobilizes body fat in the form of free fatty acids which I think is a triglyceride
A triglyceride is three fatty acids on a glycerol backbone, so it's the opposite of free fatty acids as they aren't "free" or "non-esterified".
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Practice guideline at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3431581/ may be helpful. What is OP's TG level ?0
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High triglycerides can be associated with insulin resistance. To combat insulin resistance, you would want to build muscle and eat carbs with protein.
Your doctor would be able to tell you if this is the case.0 -
Consult a doctor and/or a clinical dietitian.0
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ogmomma2012 wrote: »
Can you link the most current study? I can't find it, but I read the recent ones are supposedly very short term studies and not really comparable to the actual studies showing dietary cholesterol's effect on our health.0 -
concordancia wrote: »Have you been eating low fat? Ironically, that can make your triglycerides spike.
Try limiting your starches, using whole grains when you do have any, and incorporating healthy fats like avocados, olive oil and nuts.
I haven't been doing any particular diet such as low fat, etc. other than CICO. If I'm doing lower fat it's probably just a result of lower calories/healthier eating. Limiting the starches is my current plan. I'm looking for low carb/low starch recipes but it's hard when I'm very picky about my veggies and trying to watch my sodium intake.This is definitely something to discuss with your dr. I am on 3 cholesterol meds and have been working on getting my numbers from 798 to normal change for about 10 years now.
Were you fasting when you had the blood work done? What did you eat the day before? The answers to both those questions can have major effects on the numbers that come out in the blood work.
Yes it was a fasting test. I don't recall what I ate the day before. This test was done a few weeks ago and we just got the results back.
I've done some looking into whether or not weight loss can spike your triglyceride levels and it looks like the release of fat in your cells (from weight loss) can release triglycerides into your bloodstream which would effect a blood panel. Here's a science-based article I found - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-you-lose-weight-wher/
CICO is all that is needed for weight loss. When it comes to dealing with specific medical conditions, it is not enough. Talk to your dr, you need a specific diet plan and probably medication as well.
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melonaulait wrote: »ogmomma2012 wrote: »
Can you link the most current study? I can't find it, but I read the recent ones are supposedly very short term studies and not really comparable to the actual studies showing dietary cholesterol's effect on our health.
Dietary cholesterol is no longer a concern, and probably should never have been one.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/02/why-you-should-no-longer-worry-about-cholesterol-in-food/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22037012
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Dietary cholesterol is no longer a concern, and probably should never have been one.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/02/why-you-should-no-longer-worry-about-cholesterol-in-food/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22037012
I have yet to see a study.0 -
melonaulait wrote: »Dietary cholesterol is no longer a concern, and probably should never have been one.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/02/why-you-should-no-longer-worry-about-cholesterol-in-food/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22037012
I have yet to see a study.
of what ? the effect of dietary cholesterol on something ? If the great and the good of the US Nutritional Guidelines panel have given up on it I don't feel the need to look personally as they were pretty invested in the concept previously. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3683816/table/tbl3/ is one of their references that shows no outcome effect of egg consumption (a proxy for dietary cholesterol).
Do you have a study that shows the effect of a dietary cholesterol intervention on some health outcome ?0 -
of what ? the effect of dietary cholesterol on something ? If the great and the good of the US Nutritional Guidelines panel have given up on it I don't feel the need to look personally as they were pretty invested in the concept previously.
Do you have a study that shows the effect of a dietary cholesterol intervention on some health outcome ?
If the population's cholesterol levels are already higher than optimal for health, adding or subtracting dietary cholesterol is not going to make a difference.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11416056
Cholesterol and saturated fat cause Atherosclerotic plaque in animals such as rabbits and monkeys.
http://www.ajconline.org/article/S0002-9149(10)01954-5/abstract
I haven't yet found anything to suggest dietary cholesterol has no effect on healthy individuals.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9036757
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20165863
But, I'll keep looking out for it!
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I added a link to a Meta analysis used by the DGA panel http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3683816/In comparison with those who never consumed egg or ate egg less than once per week, individuals who ate egg once per day or more did not have significantly higher risks of overall CVD, IHD, and stroke.
most of yr links appear to be about serum cholesterol, rather than dietary0 -
I added a link to a Meta analysis used by the DGA panel http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3683816/In comparison with those who never consumed egg or ate egg less than once per week, individuals who ate egg once per day or more did not have significantly higher risks of overall CVD, IHD, and stroke.
most of yr links appear to be about serum cholesterol, rather than dietary
There's also this one on eggs from later in the same year: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/236430530 -
Has it been a proper blood test or one done similar to a mobile blood sugar test? Those tests can easily go wrong. Mind you, we once had a health check at the office and they did a couple of quick blood tests. Almost everyone on my office floor tested for too high triglicerides. I don't know if the ladies doing the test didn't know how to do it properly, if the test strips were too old, or if standing in a queue without breakfast in the full sun at over 40C in the shade for half an hour played a role there, but it's unlikely were all had too high triglicerides. I had a proper test done a bit later, and all was ok.0
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I started here on MFP (again!) in May. When I had my blood work in late August - 20ish lbs. lighter - my blood work was all out of whack. My liver enzymes were elevated and my triglycerides were up as well. When I had blood drawn a month later it was perfect! Dr. said that sometimes the results of blood tests can be inaccurate for various reasons.0
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Yes, if you have insulin resistance cutting back on carbs would help.lifeguard23 wrote: »High triglycerides can be associated with insulin resistance. To combat insulin resistance, you would want to build muscle and eat carbs with protein.
Your doctor would be able to tell you if this is the case.
Also, have you had your A1C checked?
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ForecasterJason wrote: »
Yes, if you have insulin resistance cutting back on carbs would help.lifeguard23 wrote: »High triglycerides can be associated with insulin resistance. To combat insulin resistance, you would want to build muscle and eat carbs with protein.
Your doctor would be able to tell you if this is the case.
Also, have you had your A1C checked?
Ok I'm going to try to answer as many questions as I can so LOOK HERE for answers. This was a mobile testing company that came in and drew a vial of blood, tested urine, tested hearing and eyesight and did a quantitative fit test.
I have no medical conditions that I know if that would effect my levels
I'll post all my results here and normal normal range.
Glucose: 87 - (70-99)
Urea Nitrogen: 11 - (8-22)
Creatinine: 0.66 - (0.60-1.10)
Sodium: 139 - (136-146)
Potassium: 4.0 - (3.5-5.1)
Chloride: 106 - (100-110)
Calcium: 8.9 - (8.9-10.5)
Magnesium: 1.59 - (1.50-2.30)
INorganic Phosphorus: 3.2 - (2.3-4.5)
Total Protein: 7.2 - (6.4-8.3)
Albumin: 3.9 - (3.5-5.0)
Globulin: 3.3 - (1.9-3.6)
GGTP: 15 - (0-50)
AST (SGOT): 19 - (10-40)
ALT (SGPT): 15 - (10-50)
Uric Acid: 4.7 - (2.5-6.5)
Iron: 89 - (30-160)
Triglycerides: 568 (Classified as very high, optimal range is <150)
Total Cholesterol: 208 (Desirable is <200)
HDL Cholesterol: 36 (Slightly low)
LDL Cholesterol couldn't be calculated accurately
Hope this helps clear up some questions!0
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