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triglycerides

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Q: Triglycerides?
What the best way to lower your triglycerides? I have extremely high triglycerides. Does anyone have any good tips I can follow?

A: My problem exactly.
Exercise will help, but even though I do exercise, it doesn’t help much. Also, stay away from ‘white’ foods: carbos and sugars, along with alcohol, since they will raise TGs.

If that doesn’t work, then your doctor can prescribe a drug called Tricor, which did the trick for me.

Sometimes it’s genetic and there isn’t much even a diet can do.

Q: triglycerides?
What is most important to cut out of your diet if your trying to lower you triglycerides? Fat or Carbs? If anyone has had this similiar problem, any advice would be helpful. Thank you in advance.

A: CUT out fats… specifically saturated fats and any ingrediant that says hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated… these are also saturated fats. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat are the good fats that you do want in your diet… triglycerides which are derived in and from your body and from carbs are fats that form in your blood… which circulates throughout your system and when metabolized turns into cholesterol plaques. Your bad cholesterol, LDL (low density lipoprotein) is made up of these accumulated and undesired fats which if left to go on unheeded leads only to blod clots which then lead to heart attacks and strokes. A radical change in diet and adding some kind of physical activities, plus if necessary treatment such as meds will stop these processes in their tracks.

Q: Bloodwork showed my triglycerides to be 154 despite very good cholesterol numbers. Is this at all worrisome?
I used an at home kit that showed my total cholesterol was 149, HDL 67, LDL 49, and triglycerides 154. I know the HDL and LDL levels are good, but the triglycerides are generally considered borderline high. Everywhere seems to state that high triglycerides and low HDL are correlated, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

A: Don’t worry. Your figures are really good. Sometimes your dietary habits can influence the results. However, yours are really good. Keep them like this!

Q: Why can triglycerides extract much more energy then glycogen?
Your body stores two types of molecules as energy reserves: glycogen and
triglycerides. Of these two types of molecules, much more energy can be extracted
from triglycerides. Why? Briefly describe the structure of these molecules
and why more energy can be extracted from the oxidation of the fat.

A: Triglyceride (Triacylglyceride(TAG) is more correct) is a glycerol containing 3 Fatty acids, whereas glycogen is polymer of glucose.

Fatty acids are larger molecules compared with glucose.

Glycogen is carbohydrate which gives 4 Kcal/gm energy whereas TAG which is fat which gives 9 Kcal/gm

Glucose undergoes complete oxidation (Glycolysis+TCA cycle) and gives 36-38 ATP depeending on shuttle pathway. Whereas FA undergoes beta-oxidation with several cycles till molecule is completely oxidised. During each cycle it gives one acetyl CoA (Equivalent to 12 ATPs) & 5 ATPs. e.g. a common FA palmitate undergoes 7 cycles and gives net 129 ATPs at the end. Such a 2 more FA are present in single glycerol molecule.

Glycogen being carbohydrate is highly hydrated and requires more space, whereas more TAG can be placed with less space as it is hydrophobic & inert.

This is the reason why more energy can be extracted from TAG than Glycogen.

Q: What can bring down Triglycerides in the blood, besides medication?
My mother is 80 and suffering almost all her life from high blood pressure. But her triglycerides can’t go under 300.
I do appreciate any information or advise.
God bless you.

A: Sometimes a HIGH Trig. level can be because of uncontrolled diabetes. Her doctor can draw her blood to determine if diabetes is a factor. Some other ways to lower Trig. levels are to cut back on sugars, sweets, and white breads. Family history is another reason her levels could be high. If all of this doesn’t help, medication is a safe and effective way to bring down the levels. Good luck and hope this helps!

Q: How many vials vials of blood do they take to check triglycerides?
How many vials of blood do they take to check triglycerides?

I need to have some blood taken to check my triglycerides and I would like to know how many vials they will be taking. The triglycerides are the only thing they well be checking.

Thanks

A: One serum separator tube. This type of tube is designed to separate serum from red blood cells. It has a glob of a gel in the bottom. This gel is less dense than the red blood cells, but heavier than the serum. After the blood is drawn, it is allowed to clot. This takes about thirty minutes. Then the tube is placed in a centrifuge and spun for about ten minutes. After centrifugation, one could see that the red cells are in the bottom of the tube, with the gel above the red cells, and above the gel is the serum. The triglycerides are in the serum and it is a portion of this that is tested. It takes up to fourteen hours for triglycerides to reach baseline, so for fourteen hours before the test you should not eat anything. If you are taking medications, you could take them with a sip of water. Triglycerides are one form of fat in the blood, the other being cholesterol, and a physician usually orders a lipid panel, which includes both triglycerides and cholesterol. Cholesterol is broken down into three subgroups. The “bad” cholesterol is the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL-C. The “good” cholesterol is the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or HDL-C. You can remember these as “Happy” for HDL-C and “Lousy” for LDL-C. There is a third subdivision of cholesterol, the very low density cholesterol, or VLDL-C, that does not play a role in arteriosclerosis. The sum of the three is equal to the total cholesterol. It gets more complicated than that, but your question was about triglycerides, not cholesterol.

Q: What are some ways to lower triglycerides?
I am interested if anyone knows any tricks to lower triglycerides. It can be a food or medicine.

A: I’ve had high triglycerides and been taking vitamin supplements of various kinds for 25+ years, so vitamins won’t help. But here is one thing that seemed to lower my triglycerides significantly…About July 10 of 2009 I decided to stop drinking diet soda (I’ve drunk on average 30-40+ ounces of diet pepsi or diet coke per day for decades) and drink only water. On July 29 2009 I had a blood test (I am type 2 diabetic) and my triglycerides were 102. I’ve NEVER had this low a level of triglycerides in any blood test I’ve had in well over 20 years, regardless of exercise, drugs, etc. Turns out that a couple of medical studies have shown a correlation between diet soda intake and metabolic syndrome, which includes high triglycerides. In a follow-up blood test on September 10, 2009 my triglycerides were 93.
Source(s):

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/nutrition/05symp.html

Q: What is the best way to lower triglycerides?
Does a high carb diet contribute to high triglycerides, or is it only if they are excess calories?
And why do I ask questions to people that are more igorant of the subject matter than myself?

A: There are some non-medical methods to reduce triglycerides, including:
- niacin (high doses of the non-flushing kind)
- fish oils (Omega-3 fatty acids)
- L-carnitine
- high fiber diet and/or taking psyllium twice a day
- aerobic exercise

It helps to reduce your intake of sugars and alcohol as well.

Good luck!

Q: What is a good diet specifically to lower high triglycerides?
I have high triglycerides. Everything else is normal. So, can someone provide me a good site or list of daily foods/drinks and how much of each?Thanks.

A: You really should read Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s books Eat For Life and Eat To Live.

Check out this link to see the success that others have had by doing what Dr. Fuhrman suggests: http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article14.aspx

Q: What is the most effective way to lower cholesterol and triglycerides and blood pressure without pills?
What is the best natural way to lower cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure?

A: Hypertension management is often a 3-step approach. Step 1 is changes in diet, weight and lifestyle. Steps 2 & 3 involve medication in addition to Step 1.

Step 1 changes mean a low-sodium, low-cholesterol/fat, balanced and healthy diet. Plenty of water. Then there’s the matter of excess weight. Lose it. Changing one’s lifestyle means stress management, more exercise/activity, no smoking, no alcohol.

This is all natural, no pills and effective.

Q: What is the difference between LDL cholestoral and triglycerides?
I have high LDLs and my husband has high triglycerides.

A: LDL: proteins consisting of a protein combined with a lipid

TRIGLYCERIDES: chief constituent of fats and oils

Q: How can I have low total cholesterol and high triglycerides?
I already follow a very healthy diet and exercise regularly. How is it that my triglycerides are high? Is this just hereditary or is there something I can do specifically for this? Thanks a lot…

A: Cholesterol is a form of lipid that controls the fluidity of cell membranes. The two biggest determinants of cholesterol are heredity and saturated fat in the diet.

Trigylcerides are a form of storing energy as a lipid. High carbohydrates like alcohol, sugars, grains will raise triglycerides. Poorly controlled diabetes will also increase triglycerides. Exercise actually doesn’t change triglycerides that much. I would cut down on alcohol and simple sugars and stick with complex carbs like whole grains. Omega 3 fatty acid supplements (at least 3 grams per day) will also lower trigylcerides.

You can see a dietitian for more personalized advice.

Q: What foods can I eat to lower my triglycerides?
I have extremely high triglyceride levels but do not ve high coloesterol. What can I do to lowere my triglycerides.

A: Reduce the Intake of Sweets: The sugar in sweets very quickly spikes triglycerides in people. Avoid fruit juices, soda, pastries, pies, candy, cookies and sweet desserts.

Decrease or Eliminate Alcohol: Excessive alcohol contributes to high triglyceride levels. Some people are sensitive to even small amount of alcohol. Instead, try tomato or vegetable juice, club soda, mineral water, sugar-free beverages and non-alcohopc beers.

Reduce Carbohydrate Containing Foods: Bread, pasta, white rice and white flour are carbohydrate-foods and could be sensitive to certain people and lead to elevated triglycerides. Instead, choose whole wheat pasta, brown rice, barley, oats, etc in moderation.

Maintain a Desirable Body Weight: Obesity is shown as a major cause of high triglycerides. If you are overweight, lose weight with regular exercise and by reducing totally calorie intake.

Q: What Triglycerides and HDLC mean in my blood work?
I received my blood work from the lab and the resolute for my Triglycerides was 27 witch is low (the range is 35-149) and my HDLC is 84 witch is high (range is 40-60). I don’t konw anything about this.

A: Total Cholesterol (TC) = HDLC + LHLC + Triglycerides/5..

You’re missing one variable and need either the LDLC (lo density lipoprotein cholesterol) or TC to solve equation. I”ll bet you you’re just fine.

Q: Does fasting before a blood test for triglycerides make much difference in the results?
Also, what is the recommended diet for high triglycerides (hyperlipidemia)?

A: Yes. Your blood should be clean for trigs but not for cholesterol.

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