Diet, exercise best ways to control triglycerides
Q. My partner's blood test showed high triglycerides are way over the top. I have read that there are natural products available to lower the count. He exercises daily, is not overweight, watches what he eats and rarely eats meat. He is, however, on heart medication. (He had four stents put in some years ago.) All he was told by the doctor was that the only thing one can do is to exercise and lose weight. Help!
G.B., Rio Vista, Calif.
A. Let's talk a bit about triglycerides, because their role often confuses people - not surprising given the speed with which complex health terms have encroached upon our daily lives.
Triglycerides are the most concentrated form of stored energy in plants and animals. It is the way in which nature bundles fats together. Triglycerides include the fat in our diet (nuts, seeds, butter, cooking oils, etc.), the fat in our bloodstream, and the fat that eventually makes its way to the body's excess energy-storage areas, and we all know what that means. You can think of triglycerides as looking like a squat letter "E," the three prongs representing the individual saturated or unsaturated fatty acids that make up the triglyceride.
Although we use energy throughout the day, the only time we take in energy is when we eat. At mealtime, food gets taken apart during digestion. Any protein or carbohydrate that isn't needed, together with all the fat not being used, gets changed into fatty acids, assembled into triglycerides by the liver and then shipped off to storage through the blood. This explains why blood triglycerides go up after we eat, even when there is a limited amount of fat in the meal, and why triglyceride tests are given after a 12- to 14-hour fast to avoid interference from the previous meal.
Triglycerides are recognized as an independent risk factor for heart disease. If you think about this, it makes perfect sense. It is not in our best interests to have a lot of fat roaming around our bloodstream. Fat can fall victim to free-radical oxidation, a process that can damage your blood vessels, cause blockages and push you down the road toward heart disease. A high triglyceride level is even more of a risk factor when blood cholesterol level is also elevated.
Your doctor is correct in that exercise and weight control are key, as high triglycerides are more common in people who carry excess weight. It is good that your partner works out and maintains a healthy weight. Some types of foods can help. A regular intake of fish oil, and the omega-3 fatty acids they contain, have been found to be of benefit. Another possibility is niacin (vitamin B3).
As a general rule, limiting alcohol intake and avoiding simple sugars are important, as they are known to contribute to elevated triglyceride levels.
There is a good article about triglycerides in the May 1, 2007 issue of American Family Physician. You can find the article online at tinyurl.com/6qb8u9. Read it and have a discussion with your partner's physician. This is especially important because your partner has had some health issues and is on medication. Could there be a family history of this problem? There can be a genetic component to elevated blood triglycerides and cholesterol. Again, it's something to talk about with his physician.
• Ed Blonz, Ph.D., is a nutrition scientist and the author of "Power Nutrition" and the "Your Personal Nutritionist" book series, Write him at "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Newspaper Enterprise Association, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016 or ed@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.