High Triglycerides

Overview

What are triglycerides?

Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. Your body uses them for energy.

You need some triglycerides for good health. But high triglycerides can raise your risk of heart disease and may be a sign of metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is the combination of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, too much fat around the waist, low HDL ("good") cholesterol, and high triglycerides. Metabolic syndrome increases your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

A blood test that measures your cholesterol also measures your triglycerides. For a general idea about your triglycerides level, compare your test results to the following:

• Normal is less than 150.
• Borderline-high is 150 to 199.
• High is 200 to 499.
• Very high is 500 or higher.

What causes high triglycerides?

High triglycerides are usually caused by other conditions, such as:

• Obesity.
• Poorly controlled diabetes.
• An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
• Kidney disease.
• Regularly eating more calories than you burn.
• Drinking a lot of alcohol.

Certain medicines may also raise triglycerides. These medicines include:

• Tamoxifen.
• Steroids.
• Beta-blockers.
• Diuretics.
• Estrogen.
• Birth control pills.

In a few cases, high triglycerides also can run in families.

What are the symptoms?

High triglycerides usually don't cause symptoms.

But if your high triglycerides are caused by a genetic condition, you may see fatty deposits under your skin. These are called xanthomas (say “zan-THOH-muhs”).

How can you lower your high triglycerides?

You can make diet and lifestyle changes to help lower your levels.

• Stay at a healthy weight.
• Limit fats and sugars in your diet.
• Be more active.
• Quit smoking.
• Limit alcohol.

You also may need medicine to help lower your triglycerides, but your doctor likely will ask you to try diet and lifestyle changes first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learning about high triglycerides:	What are high triglycerides? What causes them? How is metabolic syndrome related to high triglycerides?
Being diagnosed:	What are the symptoms of high triglycerides? How do I know if I have them? When should I get a cholesterol and triglycerides test?
Getting treatment:	What is the treatment for high triglycerides?
Ongoing concerns:	What are familial lipid disorders?
Living with high triglycerides:	How can I eat a healthier diet that is low in saturated fat? How can I eat fewer calories to lower my triglycerides? How can I count carbohydrate grams in my diet?

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Author:	Robin Parks, MS	Last Updated: June 19, 2009
Medical Review:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Carl Orringer, MD - Cardiology, Clinical Lipidology
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