So my triglycerides are high?

Khovde07
Khovde07 Posts: 508 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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)

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Replies

  • mamafazz
    mamafazz Posts: 92 Member
    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.
  • mamafazz
    mamafazz Posts: 92 Member
    here is the link: http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/06/i-lost-weight-and-my-cholesterol-went-up/
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    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.
  • SWellz
    SWellz Posts: 62 Member
    You should definitely talk to your GP. I assume he or she will do routine bloodwork again? Go in armed with all your questions.
  • lgoldfarb
    lgoldfarb Posts: 76 Member
    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.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    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.
  • Khovde07
    Khovde07 Posts: 508 Member
    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.
    lgoldfarb wrote: »
    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/
  • jrusso28
    jrusso28 Posts: 249 Member
    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!
  • ogmomma2012
    ogmomma2012 Posts: 1,520 Member
    Stay away from booze. Exercise.
  • Khovde07
    Khovde07 Posts: 508 Member
    jrusso28 wrote: »
    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.
  • ogmomma2012
    ogmomma2012 Posts: 1,520 Member
    edited March 2016
    Khovde07 wrote: »
    jrusso28 wrote: »
    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.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    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/1558435
  • xtina315
    xtina315 Posts: 218 Member
    Are you eating a lot of meat?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    mamafazz wrote: »
    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".
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Practice guideline at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3431581/ may be helpful. What is OP's TG level ?
  • lifeguard23
    lifeguard23 Posts: 4 Member
    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.
  • itsthehumidity
    itsthehumidity Posts: 351 Member
    Consult a doctor and/or a clinical dietitian.
  • ogmomma2012
    ogmomma2012 Posts: 1,520 Member
    xtina315 wrote: »
    Are you eating a lot of meat?

    Current research shows that dietary cholesterol has veeery little impact on our overall numbers. :)
  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
    ogmomma2012 wrote: »
    xtina315 wrote: »
    Are you eating a lot of meat?

    Current research shows that dietary cholesterol has veeery little impact on our overall numbers. :)

    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.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Khovde07 wrote: »
    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.
    lgoldfarb wrote: »
    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.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    melonaulait wrote: »
    ogmomma2012 wrote: »
    xtina315 wrote: »
    Are you eating a lot of meat?

    Current research shows that dietary cholesterol has veeery little impact on our overall numbers. :)

    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
  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
    yarwell 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.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    edited March 2016
    melonaulait wrote: »
    yarwell 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 ?
  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
    yarwell wrote: »
    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! :)
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    edited March 2016
    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
  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
    yarwell wrote: »
    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/23643053
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,930 Member
    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.
  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
    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.
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    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.
    Yes, if you have insulin resistance cutting back on carbs would help.
    Also, have you had your A1C checked?

  • Khovde07
    Khovde07 Posts: 508 Member
    ForecasterJason wrote: »
    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.
    Yes, if you have insulin resistance cutting back on carbs would help.
    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!

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