Triglycerides are a type of fat present in our liver and in many foods of animal origin. They are responsible for providing the energy needed to perform certain functions, especially to the muscles and brain.
It is important to have adequate levels of triglycerides but having an excess can be harmful to health, causing cardiovascular disease, pancreatitis or preventing our body from performing vital functions properly.
Having a triglyceride level that is too high is known as hypertriglyceridemia (which is when we have more than 160 mg/dl).
The main causes of high triglycerides are:
Being overweight: being overweight causes an increase in triglycerides.
The diet: not following a healthy diet, especially eating foods with too much saturated fat, foods of animal origin, simple sugar or hydrogenated fatty acids is directly linked to the increase in triglycerides. Therefore, we should avoid eating them or reduce them as much as possible.
A sedentary lifestyle: not doing sport regularly or not activating your body a little bit every day, influences the appearance of hypertriglyceridemia. Doctors recommend doing at least 30 minutes of sport a day, it does not have to be of great intensity, it can be light activities such as walking, running, swimming, cycling… Anything that activates our muscles and makes them work.
Genetics: if your parents have high triglycerides, it is very likely that you have them too.
Diseases: some physical conditions like diabetes or thyroid disease cause us to have more triglycerides. Also, the use of some medications can increase triglycerides.
Drinking too much alcohol – Drinking too much alcohol and too often keeps triglycerides from leaving the liver and performing their functions, causes fat tissue in the liver to increase, and also contributes to high blood sugar.
What are the risks of high triglycerides?
Having hypertriglyceridemia can cause both short-term and long-term health problems, which is why it is so important to monitor your levels regularly. Among the different problems it can cause, we find:
- They cause atherosclerosis (which is when the arteries narrow, which can lead to angina or a heart attack).
- They are a cardiovascular risk factor, they can facilitate the appearance of a heart condition.
If the last test we have had shows levels that are too high, our doctor will tell us what we should do to lower these levels. Don’t worry because these are not extreme measures, they are small changes that we must adopt in our daily lives, above all with our food, because if we eat food of animal origin we are also ingesting triglycerides, so the first thing we must do is reduce the consumption of this type of food. If we have any questions, we can take advantage of the moment to have them answered.
Controlling risk factors and knowing the risks of having high triglycerides will help us to be healthier.