QUESTION: Hi, I’m Ma.Luisa Villareal. My VLDL is 53 and my triglycerides are 265. What should I do to get a normal level?
ANSWER: Hello,
I read your message and understood your medical problem.
You are saying that your VLDL=53 and triglycerides (TG) =256. For a proper interpretation of the lipid profile, you must send me all the medical information regarding your blood lipids.
So if possible send a photo of the lab report you have. I need to see HDL and LDL as well.
In this way, I’ll be able to calculate your overall risks for cardiovascular events.
Indeed, TG over 200mg/dL is considered high. Hypertriglyceridemia may come due to many health conditions such as metabolic anomalies and sometimes nutrition and genetics. But the cause must be obtained considering the HDL and LDL as well.
VLDL means very low-density lipoprotein and is capable of building up within arteries and causing heart disease. VLDL must not be more than 30mg/dL. They contain the highest amount of triglycerides and normally if you can drop down the TG levels you reduce the VLDL numbers as well.
If all the other parts of the lipid profile are normal and only TG and VLDL are high, this may indicate an isolated condition of hypertriglyceridemia that may be hereditary.
Through diet and regular exercise, you can reduce the amount of TG circulating in your blood. Try to cut the sugar intake as it contributes to fat tissue.
Avoid fructose and all types of sugar as much as you can. Add fibers to your diet as well as omega-3. This means you must base your meals only on grains, fruits, vegetables, and fish.
Avoid alcohol and watch out for what type of fats you get with your food. Saturated fats and trans fats found in red meat, poultry, and butter must be substituted with healthy fats called polyunsaturated. The last one you can find in vegetable oils of corn, sunflower, olive, soybean, etc.
If your TG does not get lower then you must consult with your doctor to take drugs for lowering the fat in the blood.
Your TG levels are not borderline they are high, this means that it would be difficult to solve this only with diet and exercise.
Hope this is helpful for you.
Thank you.
Dr.Albana
