A number of research studies have shown that people with elevated triglycerides (greater than 200 mg/dL) are at higher risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and many other diseases.
If you are diabetic or you are over-weight to the level of obesity, chances are that your triglyceride levels are above the normal range. There are various causes and risk factors that contribute to increased levels of triglyceride in your body.
Causes of Elevated Triglycerides
1. Diet—an important risk factor
Diet is one of the most important factors in the elevation of triglyceride levels. More you eat, more and more fats start depositing within cells, leading to increased levels of triglycerides in your body.
Refined processed sugar, high-fat foods such as red meat and dairy products can all increase triglyceride levels significantly.
1.1 Sugar—a sweet poison
Sugar is commonly added to foods during processing and it is one of the most important causes of obesity—another very important risk factor for elevated triglycerides.
High blood sugar levels are associated with elevated triglycerides, hypertension (high blood pressure), and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
1.2 How much sugar you should take?
Sugar has no nutritional value other than to provide calories and its higher consumption also displaces more nutritious foods and beverages in our diet.
The American Heart Association recommends that most men should consume no more than 150 calories (about 37.5 grams) or nine teaspoons and most women not more than 100 calories (about 25 gram) or about six teaspoons of added sugar per day.
The American Heart association further recommends more fruits, vegetables, fish, high-fiber whole grains, poultry, lean meat, and low fat-dairy products in diet.
2. Obesity
Obesity or being over-weight is another very important cause of many diseases along with elevated triglycerides. More weight you gain means more triglycerides being stored within your cells. However, this also means that losing weight will bring your triglyceride levels down as well.
This is why your doctor will recommend a diet plan, regular exercise and more active life-style in overall treatment for increased levels of triglycerides.
3. Drugs—Not Without Side-Effects.
Number of drugs including steroids, birth control pills, and diuretics (water pills given to increase urine output) are known to cause elevated triglycerides. If you are already have high triglyceride levels, always seek medical advice before using any of these drugs at home.
4. Age and Gender
As we grow older, levels of triglyceride may also start climbing up. By the time you are around 60, you may have twice the levels of triglycerides as compared to when you were a child.
Again, good diet control, regular exercise, and minimizing the other risk factors will give you better control over triglycerides regardless of our age. Women tend to have a bit higher levels of triglyceride levels as compared to men and need to be more cautious.
5. Other diseases
Concurrent diseases may also contribute to elevated triglycerides. Certain disease if not treated well can lead to significant increase in body triglycerides.
These include poorly controlled diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease and hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland).
6. Heredity Factors
Some people are predisposed to high levels of triglycerides due to hereditary factors. This condition may run in families and people at risk need to be more cautious than others.
Conclusion
Higher level of triglycerides is a common health problem all over the world. If persistent, it can lead to array of diseases including heart problems.
Increased consumption of sugar, red meat, and dairy products contributes significantly towards higher levels of triglycerides. Other causes include: obesity, certain drugs, age and gender, certain diseases, and heredity factors.
We can keep our triglycerides within normal ranges by eating simple foods with low consumption of refined sugars, exercising regularly, be more cautious as we grow older, and controlling other concurrent disease like diabetes.
Or, you can keep low triglyceride levels, by using natural supplements. Click here to find out about 1 natural solution that lowers tirlgycerides & cholesterol.
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