Triglycerides are a type of fat in the bloodstream and fat tissue. Too much of this type of fat can contribute to the hardening and narrowing of your arteries. This puts you at risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Diseases such as diabetes, obesity, kidney failure or alcoholism can cause high triglycerides. Often, high triglycerides occur along with high levels of cholesterol, another type of fat.
Triglycerides are measured along with cholesterol as part of a blood test. Normal triglyceride levels are below 150. Levels above 200 are high. If your triglyceride level is high, you can lower it by
- Getting medical treatment for the problem causing the high triglycerides
- Following a healthy diet low in sugars and carbohydrates
- Exercising regularly
- Taking cholesterol-lowering medicines
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Triglycerides
(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://nhlbisupport.com/chd1/tri.htm
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Triglycerides(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4778
Also available in Spanish http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3041572
- Patient Information Lipoprotein Risk Factors(National Lipid Association) - http://www.lipid.org/clinical/patients/1000001.php
- Triglycerides: Why Do They Matter?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/triglycerides/CL00015/METHOD=print
- What Are High Blood Cholesterol and Triglycerides?(American Heart Association) - Links to PDF - http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/110080537825813%20WhtAreHBldCholTriglycer.pdf
- ApoE (Apolipoprotein E) Genotyping(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/apoe/test.html
- Lipid Profile(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/lipid/glance.html
- Triglycerides: Common Questions(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/triglycerides/faq.html
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Hyperlipidemias(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hyperlipidemias%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hyperlipoproteinemia Type IV(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hyperlipoproteinemia+Type+IV%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypertriglyceridemia(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hypertriglyceridemia%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Hemostatic safety of the bolus intravenous injection of a novel... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18698488&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Inclusion of 10% fish oil in mixed medium-chain triacylglycerol-long-chain triacylglycerol... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18689362&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Dietary monounsaturated fat activates metabolic pathways for triglyceride-rich lipoproteins that... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18689361&tool=MedlinePlus
- Triglycerides -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(triglycerides[majr]+OR+hypertriglyceridemia[majr]+OR+hyperlipoproteinemia+type+iv[majr])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+review[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Triglycerides - http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&binning-state=group%3d%3dMedical%20Encyclopedia&query=Triglycerides
- American Heart Association - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000
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National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
- Cholesterol - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cholesterol.html
- Dietary Fats - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dietaryfats.html
- Blood, Heart and Circulation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodheartandcirculation.html
- Food and Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodandnutrition.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Triglycerides is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/