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Do you know your triglyceride (plasma) level? Do you know exactly what triglycerides are and what they do (in health and disease)? If not, you will by the time you finish reading this article.

Triglycerides refer to a type of fatty deposits stored in your body. This in-a-nutshell is how they are manufactured in your body:

Your body converts the carbohydrates you eat into glucose that is utilized to produce energy by cells. Once cells have all the glucose they need to meet their energy demands, the excess glucose is sent back to the liver and converted into glycogen. Once a person has stored all the glycogen they can handle, excess is sent back to the liver again, where it is transformed into triglycerides, which are stored as fat.

Some of these triglycerides wind up not being stored as fat, but instead enter the blood stream.

When triglycerides in the blood become excessive (Hypertriglyceridemia), blood thickens or becomes more viscous (in technical parlance). This triglyceride-laden, highly viscous blood increases the possibility of a person developing a clot and blockage which could set the stage for a heart attack or stroke.

Not surprisingly, diet can significantly contribute to increases in a person’s triglyceride levels. For example, a single meal high in saturated fat can immediately and significantly elevate serum triglyceride levels, which increases the risk of developing coronary artery disease. Research has shown that reducing triglyceride levels by 20% to 40% can reduce the risk for coronary artery disease by as much as 40%.

Given this, you have a good idea why it is important to keep your triglyceride level within a healthy range, which is as follows:

The National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines*  for triglycerides are:

As we mentioned above, triglyceride levels are directly influenced by what you eat. Anything that increases blood glucose will potentially increase triglycerides, so you should lower your intake of anything that is converted to glucose in the body.

The American Heart Association suggests these dietary and lifestyle changes:

• If you're overweight, cut down on calories to reach your ideal body weight. This includes all sources of calories, from fats, proteins, carbohydrates and alcohol. 
• Reduce the saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol content of your diet. 
• Reduce your intake of alcohol considerably. Even small amounts of alcohol can lead to large changes in plasma triglyceride levels. 
• Be physically active for at least 30 minutes on most or all days each week. 
• People with high triglycerides may need to substitute monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats —such as those found in canola oil, olive oil or liquid margarine — for saturated fats. Substituting carbohydrates for fats may raise triglyceride levels and may decrease HDL ("good") cholesterol in some people. 
• Substitute fish high in omega-3 fatty acids instead of meats high in saturated fat like hamburger. Fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon are high in omega-3 fatty acids.

Because other risk factors for coronary artery disease multiply the hazard from hyperlipidemia, control high blood pressure and avoid cigarette smoking. If drugs are used to treat hypertriglyceridemia, dietary management is still important. Patients should follow the specific plans laid out by their physicians and nutritionists

One of the most important steps to take is to lower your carbohydrate intake. Excess sugar should also be avoided, as it is converted to glucose and in turn triglycerides much the same way as carbohydrates are.

One diet that emphasizes healthy fats and complex carbohydrates at intake levels consistent with patterns we are all adapted to is “The Paleolithic” or “Stone Age” diet.

Natural Measures of Merit for Lowering Triglycerides

Many of the nutrients for lowering cholesterol naturally will help with triglyceride levels as well.

According to a 1966 Harvard study, Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin C combined with a low carbohydrate diet, were shown to dramatically reduce triglyceride levels.

Dieting works, yes, but this is not to say by starving the body for fat! Natural animal fats are needed in order for the body to keep cells and tissues healthy. What doctors and researchers do warn against is consuming unhealthy fats such as the trans fats and hydrogenated oils found in margarine, processed and refined foods and fast foods.

One that is worth carefully considering is an herbal formula called HEARTROL. In a study, headed by L. Samochowiec at the Pharmacological Institute of Szczecin, Poland and published in Herba Polonica (33:219-22. 1987) and Polbiopharm Reports (22:15-19, 1987), 100 patients with indisputably diagnosed peripheral arterial occlusive disease with intermittent claudication took the Heartrol™ blend on a daily basis. The maximum average walking distance of the participants on a treadmill ergometer was less than 150 meters. After four months on Heartrol™, patients experienced a 98% increase in maximal walking distance; a statistically significant decrease in triglycerides and those lipid fractions (cholesterol components) involved in the genesis of artery-blocking plaque; and a 100% increase in platelet aggregation threshold (thus decreasing the likelihood that the disc-shaped platelets in the blood will stick together forming clumps that can attach to and/or suddenly block blood vessels).

The HEARTROL formula has been approved by the Swiss equivalent of the FDA for the treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive disease.