Triglycerides are usually measured inthe same blood test that determinescholesterol. But, according to arecent survey by the National LipidAssociation (NLA), fewer than four in10 Americans were aware of this fact.Indeed, cholesterol gets most of thepublicity. But, like harmful low-densitylipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol,excessive triglycerides in your bloodcan clog your arteries, boosting therisk for heart disease and stroke,particularly in women.
In fact, most of the fat we eat is inthe form of triglycerides. And triglyceridesalso form the biggest share of bodyfat. Right after a meal, these fats appearin your blood. Later they’re stored infatty tissue, to be released when youneed energy. The National Heart, Lung,and Blood Institute recommends thattriglyceride levels be below 150 mg/dL.
As with high cholesterol, you canhave elevated triglycerides without anysymptoms. And high triglycerides andhigh cholesterol usually coincide. Beingoverweight and having a waist of atleast 35 inches also tend to boosta woman’s triglyceride levels.
In contrast, a healthy lifestyle,including regular exercise anda balanced diet, can help keeptriglycerides in check. For example,a recent study in Diabetes Carerevealed that eating less meat andmore low-fat dairy products,vegetables, fruits, and whole-graincereals helped a group of overweightpeople with metabolic syndrome loseweight and lower their triglycerides.
If you have diabetes, be sure to keepyour blood sugar controlled becausehigh blood sugar elevates triglyceridelevels. Hormone replacement therapyalso can raise triglycerides. If you have ahigh triglyceride level, the same medicationused to lower high cholesterol canbring it down.