High Triglycerides

🌿 Overview

Triglycerides are fat particles in the bloodstream providing energy to cells. Normal is below 150 mg/dL; high is above 200 mg/dL. When elevated (especially with low HDL cholesterol), they cause vascular disease and increase heart attack risk. Alcohol is the second primary cause (after diabetes) of high triglycerides. Simple sugars (candy, sweets, sugar) also raise triglycerides markedly. Smoking and obesity are additional causes. The good news: triglycerides are among the most responsive of all lipid values to dietary change. Walter Kempner's 1944 rice-and-fruit diet could drop triglycerides from 1,000 mg/dL to 117 mg/dL in a matter of months. Omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed oil) and garlic are among the most effective natural agents for reducing them.

Triglycerides are a type of fat carried in the blood, and high levels (generally above 150 mg/dL) are a risk factor for heart disease and, when very high, for inflammationThe body's natural response to injury — like redness, swelling, or heat around a sore spot. More → of the pancreas. Levels are strongly influenced by diet and lifestyle — particularly excess sugar, refined carbohydrates, and alcohol — as well as by being overweight, inactivity, and sometimes genetics or other conditions like poorly controlled diabetes.

The encouraging news is that triglycerides respond very well to lifestyle changes, often more so than other blood fats: cutting back on sugar, refined carbohydrates, and alcohol, choosing whole plant foods and healthy fats (such as those rich in omega-3), losing excess weight, and being regularly active can lower them substantially. These are the foundation of treatment. Because high triglycerides usually cause no symptoms, they are found through a blood test, so knowing your numbers matters. Very high levels, or levels that do not respond to lifestyle changes, should be managed with a doctor, who may also check for underlying causes.

Common signs

• High triglycerides have no direct outward symptoms
• Abdominal pain (in very high triglycerides, 500+ mg/dL, pancreatitis is a risk)
• Associated with symptoms of atherosclerosis or cardiovascular disease in severe cases

🔎 Why it happens

Common causes and triggers — spotting yours is often the first step to relief.

• Diabetes (elevated triglycerides are nearly universal in diabetes)
• Alcohol consumption -- the second most common cause
• Simple sugars and refined carbohydrates (candy, sweets, white flour, soft drinks)
• Obesity and excess weight
• Smoking and chewing tobacco
• Low fiber diet

✅ What to do

Gentle, practical steps you can take at home — start at the top.

1. Target triglyceride level: below 150 mg/dL.
2. Reduce total fat intake to less than 30% of daily calories (ideally 20%), and saturated fats to under 10% -- effectively done by eliminating meat and dairy products.
3. Eat complex carbohydrates abundantly (rice, beans, whole grains cooked without fat).
4. Eliminate all candy, sweets, and sugar (simple carbohydrates are the most significant dietary factor in raising triglycerides).
5. Include abundant soluble fiberThe part of plant foods your body can't fully break down — it keeps digestion moving. More →: pectin (in fruit), beta-glucan (in oats), psyllium seed.
6. Take omega-3 fatty acids: raw flaxseed oil (3,000 mg/day) -- this directly and powerfully lowers triglycerides; do not use cod liver oil (excess vitamins A and D).
7. Take garlic (or garlic tablets standardized for allicin, 900 mg providing 5,000 mcg allicin daily) -- reduces triglycerides 8-27% over 1-4 months.
8. Try the brown rice diet for 2-3 days (rice and fruit only) -- dramatically lowers triglycerides and causes weight loss as a bonus.
9. Do not drink alcohol -- it decidedly increases triglycerides.
10. Stop smoking.
11. Exercise regularly: studies show exercise lowers triglycerides even without weight loss.
12. Herbs: wild yam, fenugreek, and reishi mushroom reduce triglycerides.

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🍽️ Eating to help

Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.

Plant-based diet of complex carbohydrates: beans, whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. Eliminate meat and dairy. No sugar, candy, sweets, or alcohol. Cold-pressed polyunsaturated oils only (flaxseed oil best). Lecithin (1-3 tablespoons of granules on cereal daily) emulsifies blood fats. Abundant soluble fiber from oats, fruit, and psyllium.

📚 Learn more

Trusted, independent sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.

• Hypertriglyceridemia — Wikipedia ↗

💬 Ask Remy about High Triglycerides