treatingtriglycerides
medication
Managing these blood
fats can help you take
care of your heart.
BY Susan B. Sloane, R.Ph., CDE, CPT
High triglyceride levels result from
several risk factors and causes, such
as excessive intake of re;ned sugars
Y
ou’ve probably heard plenty
about LDL (bad) cholesterol
and the need to control it
to lower your risk of cardiovascular
disease (CVD). But there are other
“bad” fats, or blood lipids, that harm
blood vessels: triglycerides. If you
have high triglycerides, you may
want to talk to your health care
provider about adding medication.
Triglycerides are clusters of fat
cells made from excess carbohydrate
and fat we consume. Normally they
are stored as fat for a long-term
energy reserve; excess triglycerides
are dense and clog blood vessels.
photos: SCOTT LITTLE; food styling: GREG LUNA
Normal
<150 mg/dl
Elevated
150–199 mg/dl
and saturated fats, smoking, excessive
alcohol consumption, lack of physical
activity, stress, and type 2 diabetes.
High triglyceride levels can be
treated with healthful eating and
exercise, over-the-counter
supplements, and prescription drugs.
The degree of harm to blood
vessels directly correlates to how
vigilant a person has been with diet,
exercise, and medication, says Joel
Rosenberg, M.D., a cardiac surgeon
in New York. “Patients with low LDL
are not risk-free from cardiac damage
if they don’t exercise and watch
triglycerides as well.”
For people with diabetes, controlling
blood glucose can help lower
triglyceride levels because less excess
glucose is available in the blood to be
converted into triglycerides.
Lifestyle changes
The American Diabetes Association
recommends lifestyle modi;cations
as the ;rst line of defense against
High
200–499 mg/dl
Very High
>500 mg/dl
Over-the-counter
omega- 3 supplements
usually contain 300 mg
per capsule. It would
take up to 12 capsules
to achieve the daily
amount ( 2–4 grams)
recommended to lower
high triglycerides.
abnormal cholesterol and triglycerides
in people with type 2 diabetes. Such
steps can prevent or reduce the need
for LDL cholesterol-lowering
medications. One key change is losing
excess weight—and you may not need
to lose much. Moderate weight loss
( 10 pounds or more) in overweight
individuals has been shown to lower
triglyceride levels by up to 22 percent.
Physical activity also helps. The
National Institutes of Health suggests
moderate exercise, such as brisk
walking, ;ve days a week (it’s good
for blood glucose, too). In addition to
lifestyle changes, however, medication
may be necessary to treat triglycerides.
DiabeticLivingOnline.com 51
