Elevated triglyceride levels are a matter of concern, as they can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. If you want to lower your triglyceride levels fast, the following lifestyle changes and medications can have a big impact on your health.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Changing Your Diet
Step 1. Avoid eating sugary foods
Added sugar and refined sugar can raise triglyceride levels, so the quickest way to lower them is to reduce your sugar intake. This happens because the calorie content that is not needed in sugar will be converted into triglycerides (in the form of fat) and then stored in the body.
- Limit your added sugar intake to no more than 5-10% of calories. This means that the limit on sugar consumption for women is 100 calories per day, while for men it is 150 calories per day.
- Avoid sweet desserts and thick fruit juices.
Step 2. Reduce consumption of simple carbohydrates
White rice and bread made from wheat flour or semolina can increase triglyceride levels in some people. If your doctor suspects this may be causing problems with your body, try cutting back on simple carbohydrates to help lower your triglyceride levels.
- Instead of eating simple carbohydrates, choose pasta and bread made from whole grains.
- Stop eating your carbohydrates altogether, and increase the intake of protein in your diet. Protein has a lower "glycemic index" than carbohydrates. This means that protein is absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream. Thus, increasing protein consumption is beneficial not only for lowering blood sugar, but also levels of "lipids" (including triglycerides) in the blood. Healthy fats are also a beneficial dietary component because they can control blood sugar while lowering triglycerides.
Step 3. Stop drinking alcohol
Alcohol can increase triglyceride levels, especially in people who are sensitive to its effects. So, you are strongly advised to stop consuming alcohol while trying to lower triglyceride levels.
Once your triglyceride levels return to the normal range, you may return to drinking alcohol. However, try not to eat too often or too much, because it can again increase your triglyceride levels
Step 4. Increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are considered "good" fats and consuming them regularly can help your body lower triglyceride levels.
- Eat about 2 servings of fatty fish each week. If you do this regularly, you may notice a difference in your triglyceride levels.
- Fatty fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna and trout.
- Other sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed, flaxseed oil, soybeans, legumes, walnuts, and dark green leafy vegetables. Try to add these ingredients into your daily diet.
- Quality omega-3 fatty acid supplements can be beneficial because they help increase the overall omega-3/omega-6 ratio.
Step 5. Eat vegetable protein
Triglyceride levels can drop significantly if you choose a protein source from plants (rather than red meat).
- Dried beans, peas, and soybeans are rich sources of protein.
- You can also consume chicken as a substitute for red meat, because it is healthier for controlling triglyceride levels.
Step 6. Increase fiber intake
Fiber can help regulate the absorption and digestion of food, and high-fiber foods can significantly lower your triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
- Fiber mixed with water in the intestine will form a gel matrix that is able to capture fat. Thus, fiber can reduce the percentage of fat (including triglycerides) that is absorbed into the body. In addition, fiber is also useful for maintaining digestive tract health in other ways.
- To increase fiber intake, increase the portion of whole grains in your diet. You should also increase your intake of nuts, fruit, and vegetables.
- Fiber will also make you feel full, thus preventing you from overeating.
- Drink more water while increasing your fiber intake. Or you may have moderate to severe abdominal pain.
Step 7. Monitor your fat intake
Saturated fat and trans fat are very dangerous. So, reducing the intake of such fats as much as possible is very beneficial for controlling your triglyceride levels.
- Packaged foods and fast food are major sources of these "bad" fats. Animal products and all foods made from hydrogenated vegetable oils such as butter, lard, and margarine may also be problematic.
- Switch to mono and poly unsaturated fats. Your body needs fat, and sources of unsaturated fats are considered healthier options and won't increase triglyceride levels too much. Sources of unsaturated fats include olive oil, canola oil, rice husks, walnut oil, and flaxseed oil.
Step 8. Limit fructose intake
Fructose is a sugar that is naturally found in fruits, honey, and some types of table sugar. Limiting your fructose intake to no more than 50 to 100 grams per day can help you lower your triglyceride levels more quickly.
- Fruits with lower fructose content include apricots, oranges, cantaloupe, strawberries, avocados, and tomatoes; here's a healthier choice of fruit if you want to eat fruit.
- Fruits with higher fructose content include mangoes, bananas, plantains, grapes, pears, apples, watermelon, pineapples, and blackberries; These are the fruits that should be avoided, or at least limited in their consumption.
Method 2 of 3: Changing Activities and Lifestyle
Step 1. Adjust your calorie intake
Pay close attention to how many calories you consume each day, and consider reducing them (consult your doctor to find a goal that is safe and achievable).
- This method is especially useful if you are overweight or obese. Being overweight can be a cause of increased triglyceride levels.
- Most women should eat 1,200 calories daily, while most men should eat 1,800 calories daily (this calorie intake may vary according to activity level and other factors). If your health condition requires you to lose weight or calorie intake, your doctor may prescribe a special diet with fewer calories. However, you should not start any diet without the approval of your doctor.
- Also, avoid eating snacks at night before going to bed.
Step 2. Eat small portions of food
Eating small portions more often is better than eating 2 or 3 times but in large portions.
Step 3. Exercise
Moderate exercise is an important part of efforts to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
- Don't do strenuous exercise right away. You might think that vigorous exercise will lower your triglyceride levels faster, but this choice has bad consequences in the long run. Starting out with an exercise that's too strenuous will increase your chances of giving up too soon. So start with 10 minutes of exercise every day, and increase the duration of 1 or 2 minutes each week until you can work out for 30-40 minutes.
- Vary the type of exercise you do. For example, walk today, then bike the next day, and continue with exercise following the video the next day. Channel your creativity. By incorporating a variety of exercises into your workout routine, you won't get bored quickly. It will also help you find fun sports activities!
Step 4. Quit smoking
Quitting smoking is a very important step to lowering triglyceride levels.
- Smoking contributes to a number of cardiovascular risk factors, which include increased blood clotting, damage to the arteries, and uncontrolled levels of fats in the blood (including triglycerides).
- Quitting smoking will have a very positive impact on your health. Try to find a smoking cessation assistance program near you. Or, visit a doctor who can provide support and direction.
Method 3 of 3: Using Drugs
Step 1. Use fibrates
The commonly used fibrates include gemfibrozil and fenofibrate.
- Fibrates are compounds of carboxylic acids, an organic acid composed of carbon and hydrogen. The nature of this compound is amphiphatic, which means it can dissolve in both fat and water.
- This drug will increase HDL levels and lower triglyceride levels. It works by decreasing the production of triglyceride-carrying particles from the liver.
- Be aware that fibrates can cause gastrointestinal disturbances and liver irritation, as well as gallstones. This drug is also dangerous when used with blood-thinning drugs, and can cause muscle damage when used with statin drugs.
Step 2. Try nicotinic acid
The most commonly used nicotinic acid is niacin.
- Nicotinic acid is also a carboxylic acid compound.
- Like fibrates, nicotinic acid reduces the liver's ability to produce triglyceride-carrying particles called VLDL, or very low density lipoprotein.
- Nicotinic acid will increase levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) is higher than similar drugs.
- Consult your doctor first before using nicotinic acid, as it can interact with other medications and have dangerous side effects.
- Serious side effects that may occur include difficulty breathing, severe abdominal pain, jaundice, and headaches. While these side effects are rare, you need to be aware of them.
Step 3. Find out about prescription omega-3 fatty acid supplements
Taking omega-3 fatty acids naturally can lower triglyceride levels, but high-dose omega-3 fatty acid supplements purchased by prescription are much more effective at lowering triglyceride levels.
- Omega-3 fatty acid supplements are usually available in the form of fish oil pills.
- Only use high doses of this supplement under the advice and care of a doctor, as it may also interact with other medications. Omega-3 levels that are too high can thin the blood and lower blood pressure. Excessive omega-3 can also increase blood sugar levels and interfere with liver function, as well as trigger mental disorders.
Step 4. Learn more about statins
The most commonly used statin class of drugs is atorvastatin. Other statin drugs include fluvastatin, lovastatin, pivastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin.
- This drug can lower cholesterol by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. The main function of this enzyme is to produce cholesterol.
- The main benefit of statins is to lower LDL cholesterol. This drug can also lower triglycerides, but the effect is smaller than similar drugs.
- Side effects of statins are rare but quite severe. Muscle breakdown is a major side effect of statins, especially when used with fibrates. Statins can also cause liver problems and increase the risk of diabetes.
- Be aware of the symptoms of excess intake of omega-3. These symptoms include oily/acne skin, increased appetite, oily hair, and lethargy.
Tips
- Before making any important changes to your health, you need to understand why. Elevated triglyceride levels are one of the main risk factors for heart disease (which includes heart attack, stroke, and atherosclerosis or hardening of the artery walls).
- Triglycerides also play a role in the metabolic syndrome. Everyone with three or more of these conditions was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome: elevated blood pressure, elevated triglyceride levels, increased HDL cholesterol, increased waist circumference, and/or elevated blood sugar levels. This syndrome is basically a disease caused by lifestyle and can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, liver disease and some types of cancer. So, here is another reason why you should control your triglyceride levels.
- The sooner you change your lifestyle to a more positive one, including diet and exercise (with medication as needed and recommended by your doctor), the sooner you will feel happy and start a healthy and prosperous life. Sometimes the hardest part is getting started, and over time you'll get more and more excited as you progress!
