A Third Of Americans Have High Triglyceride Levels
What are triglycerides and does it matter if you have high triglyceride levels?
Beyond keeping track of your blood pressure and cholesterol, there's another number to you need to know - triglycerides.
These fatty particles in your plasma are key to your heart health, but they don't get any were near the attention that cholesterol does.
Yet about one third of American adults have triglyceride levels that are considered either borderline or too high, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control that's just been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
So, if you've had your cholesterol levels tested, you were probably told by the doctor that triglycerides at levels of 150 to 199 milligrams per deciliter are borderline high; and over 200 milligrams per deciliter are considered too high.
Note: Cholesterol is measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood in the United States and other countries, while Canada and many Europe countries measures cholesterol in millimoles per liter of blood.
It's been found that very high triglyceride levels can cause inflammation of the pancreas.
Men have a higher risk than women, and Caucasians a higher risk than African Americans or Mexican Americans to have high triglycerides.
And if you have other risks of heart disease you really should take this risks seriously and do something about them.
This is especially true if your waist measurement is over 40 inches (101.6 centimeters) if you're a man, more than 35 inches (88.9 centimeters) if you're a woman - this body shape makes you more likely to develop heart disease.
The body stores extra calories as triglycerides and keeps them stored in your fat cells.If you're overweight, too inactive, drink too much or eating lots of saturated fat you likely have higher triglyceride levels.
And if you're you're eating more calories than you burn, you'll probably have high triglycerides (known technically as hypertriglyceridemia).
Cholesterol testing can check you LDL and HDL cholesterol levels, and these often sadly overlooked triglyceride levels.
The best way to fight back against high triglycerides is to lose the extra weight - which only comes from eating right and being more active.
Swap healthy fats for unhealthy ones (like saturated or trans fats), especially if your triglycerides are between 155 and 500 milligrams per deciliter.
You'll also want to eat more soluble fiber found in foods like oatmeal, beans, fruits and veggies.
Only when lifestyle adaptation is not enough, other alternatives like medication like statins, fibrates, niacin and fish oil that may also be helpful - Although do discuss these options with your doctor first.
High cholesterol has no symptoms, but genetics (close family members with high cholesterol or heart disease) might make you more predisposed to it.
If this is you, you'll probably want to get a cholesterol test by age 20 to get a baseline figure (or as early as you can), and follow-ups every five years afterward.
Catching the problem early gives you the best chance to treat conditions right off the bat and retain your health.
Other research linking high triglycerides to cardiovascular disease shows that high triglyceride levels are as dangerous as high cholesterol to your heart health.
If your number is higher than it should be, now is the time to make the changes to bring high triglyceride levels down.
Next - just head on over to the Daily Health Bulletin for more information on the effects of high triglyceride levels, plus for a limited time get 5 free fantastic health reports. Click here for the video of the study into the causes of high triglycerides.