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You Are What You Eat: Triglycerides and Diet
I must confess that I am a Steve Martin fan. Like me he studied
philosophy in his earlier days. He plays a banjo like I wish I
could. And he is funny. In 1987 he was in a movie entitled
"Roxanne". He played a small town fire chief with an enormous
nose who fell in love with a beautiful astronomer played by
Daryl Hannah. The only problem was she had an eye for a younger
fireman with a relatively normal nose. C.D. Bales (Steve
Martin), having a poetic command of the English language, agreed
to coach the younger and much more awkward man in his pursuit of
the educated astronomer. It is a hilarious twist on an old
story. In one of the more sober scenes C.D.'s friend Trixie
encourages him to pursue the young maiden for himself since he
was obviously in love with her. She makes her point by saying
the truth "is as plain as the nose on your face." Well said.
Many people today are concerned about their triglyceride levels.
And rightly so. High triglycerides have been marked as an
independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). But in
all the scramble to reduce our triglycerides many doctors have
been trying to tell us that the truth is as plain as the nose on
our collective face.
Triglycerides are a form of fat. In fact they are the most
prevalent form of fat in our bodies. Our bodies make
triglycerides and we consume them in our diets. Even though we
live in culture where 'thin is in', fat is a good thing.
Triglycerides in particular are good because they are the form
of fat our bodies use for energy. But like many things more is
not necessarily better. Triglycerides truly represent an example
of the maxim, 'too much of a good thing'. In this case too much
can contribute to serious health side effects especially in
relation to heart health. So if your triglycerides are too high
get them down.
But how? How do we get them down? To answer this question it is
first helpful to understand what causes our triglycerides to
rise. There are several causes which we will only mention in
passing because they do not compose the main subject of this
essay. There are certain medical conditions that elevate
triglyceride levels such as hypothyroidism, kidney disease,
liver disease, familial hypertriglyceridemia and pregnancy. And
of course medical conditions are often accompanied by
medications that negatively impact triglycerides. Among these
are oral contraceptives, estrogen replacement therapy, certain
steroids, diuretics, beta-blockers, newer classes of
antipsychotic medications, cyclosporine, glucocorticoids,
progesterone, retinoids and tamoxifen to mention a handful.
The above mentioned factors can contribute to a rise in serum
triglycerides. But they are by no means the most common. For
most of us our problems lie elsewhere. Diabetes is a common
cause of high triglycerides. Unfortunately diabetes is a
two-pronged fork. Not only does it affect triglyceride levels
but diabetics are more susceptible to the damage that results
from factors such as high triglycerides.
Obesity, whatever the reason, causes higher levels of
triglycerides to hang around in the blood. As our nation gets
progressively heavier higher cholesterol and triglycerides, as
well as the heart damage that accompanies them, will become more
common.
Now for the rest of us. For most of us our triglycerides are
high for one reason. The truth is as plain as the nose on C.D.'s
face. We are what we eat. Doctors, though themselves seldom the
epitome of health, have been telling us for years to watch what
we eat. With all the medical advances over
the past several
decades diet and exercise are still the primary and most
effective methods for promoting heart health, especially in
relation to cholesterol and triglycerides and the damage they
can cause.
I have only this to say about exercise. Get some! But concerning
diet we need a bit more detail. Let's begin where it hurts the
most. Alcohol, though good for your heart in many ways, is
easily converted to triglycerides. If yours are too high stay
away from alcohol.
Next in line, and this hurts me even more, is sugar. Simple, and
especially highly processed carbohydrates, cause triglycerides
to rise perhaps even more than alcohol. The American diet is no
stranger to sugar and highly processed foods. Such foods are
doing more than making us fat. They are causing the incidence of
heart disease to escalate with amazing speed. When it comes to
high triglycerides, sugar is your worst enemy.
Fruits are questionable. Eliminating fruits is not the place to
start. Whole fruits, and the sugars they contain, do not convert
to triglycerides as readily as their processed cousins. However,
if you have done all you can in other areas of your diet you
might consider reducing fruit intake. But before you do this
make sure you have eliminated the juices that are more sugar and
juice than they are fruit. And avoid canned fruits that are
packed in syrup.
Since triglycerides are fat it makes sense to avoid fatty foods.
I have in mind especially saturated animal fats. Foods such as
bacon, sausage, fatty fowl like duck or goose and fatty beef
should be restricted in your diet. Hotdogs and hamburgers? I
realize they are the core of the American diet. But do I really
need to comment on these?
Now for the surprise. Some fatty foods actually cause
triglycerides to fall. Can you believe it? There is a silver
lining behind every dark cloud. Cold water fatty fish like
salmon, mackerel and tuna, not the canned varieties, are high in
omega-3 fatty acids which are well documented to reduce
triglycerides. When is the last time you heard about an Eskimo
having bypass surgery? Perhaps that is because Eskimos know that
the American Heart Association has recommended two to four grams
of omega-3 fatty acids from marine sources for people with high
triglycerides. That is a lot of omega-3 but such quantities are
well proven to lower triglycerides as well as offer a whole list
of heart health benefits. Though it is difficult to eat that
much fish and there is the risk of mercury poisoning, there is a
safe way to get enough omega-3 to effectively lower
triglycerides. You can take fish oils supplements. Please
purchase them from a trusted source.
So, as you can see, the epidemic of rising triglycerides is an
unnecessary danger. For most of us the solution rests in the
things we eat and the exercise we need to get. It sounds all too
simple. But I am a simple guy. I think it is nice to know that
the solution to rising triglycerides is as plain as the nose on
C.D.'s face.
For more information on causes of high triglycerides and
triglyceride lower diets please use the links below:
Triglyceride Causes
Triglyceride Reducing Diets
Tri
glycerides
About the author:
Greg has degrees in science, divinity and philosophy and is
currently an I.T. developer.
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| American Diabetes Association Home Page |
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| diabetes.niddk.nih.gov |
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| Diabetes News - The New York Times |
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| topics.nytimes.com |
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| children with DIABETES Online Community |
| An online community for kids, families, and adults with diabetes, featuring message boards, chat rooms, and questions/answers from medical professionals. |
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