Tackling Triglycerides

tim_fitbuilt4life

Q: My doctor says my triglycerides are a bit high, but my cholesterol is within the normal range. Are triglycerides something I should worry about?

— Susannah, Maine

A: Yes, you need to keep an eye on triglycerides, which are the most common type of fat found in the body. When you eat, any calories not used immediately for energy are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells. Triglycerides also circulate in your bloodstream.

High triglycerides combined with low HDL ("good") cholesterol are a risk factor for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A normal triglyceride level is below 150; 150 to 199 is borderline high; levels above 200 are considered high. For high-risk patients, my goal is a triglyceride level of less than 100 mg/dL.

I call triglycerides and HDL lifestyle lipids because they are both very sensitive to changes in diet and exercise. Losing weight, taking prescription niacin and fish oil supplements, and avoiding starchy and sugary carbohydrates as well as saturated fat and trans fats are all effective ways of reducing elevated levels of this bad type of blood fat.