Healthy lifestyle changes that counter bad habits can help control high triglycerides. These include the following.
Maintain a Healthy Body Weight
While genetics plays a part in each person’s ability to stay at the recommended body mass index (BMI) of 25 or lower, Dr. Laffin says that people should be concerned if they reach obesity levels of 30 or higher.
“Really high triglyceride levels typically can occur when you’re obese,” he says. “That’s one of the risk factors, particularly if you have diabetes.” Research has found that elevated triglyceride levels are strongly associated with inadequate control of blood sugar, and that lowering triglyceride levels may help people with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels.
Follow a Healthy Diet
“The biggest thing that people can do is watch what they eat,” says Laffin, who puts patients on a triglyceride-lowering diet that includes nonstarchy vegetables, limited sugar, and lean proteins.
The Cleveland Clinic recommends sugar-free beverages, fresh fruit with no added sugar, whole grains, and swapping out butter and coconut oil for extra-virgin olive oil.
Get Regular Exercise
A regular exercise routine, like walking, jogging, or cycling, tends to reduce triglyceride levels.
One study found that eight weeks of aerobic exercises reduced triglycerides in patients with heart disease, along with bad cholesterol levels. A meta-analysis of 28 studies that compared aerobic exercise, resistance training, combined aerobic and resistance training, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) found that HIIT was the most effective in reducing triglyceride levels, along with waist circumference, body fat percentage, and fasting blood glucose; aerobic exercise was most effective for weight loss and BMI.
The American College of Cardiology says that physical activity can reduce triglyceride levels up to 30 percent, but the regimen needs to be consistent.
Laffin recommends 150 minutes of physical activity a week, which is just over 20 minutes of moderate exercise a day.
Stop Drinking Alcohol
You may have heard that a glass of wine with dinner is okay, but Laffin recommends cutting out all alcohol if you have high triglycerides.
The ill effects of booze are partly due to how alcohol breaks down in your liver. Triglycerides and cholesterol are produced when the liver processes alcohol, and they’re released into the blood.
Quit Smoking
It’s perhaps not surprising that smokers often have higher levels of triglycerides in their system, as research shows. But Laffin says the two are not necessarily connected.
“Smoking is not good for cardiovascular health, so we don’t recommend it,” he says. “But it doesn’t really have a huge impact on triglycerides.”
Ask Your Doctor About Medications
There are medications that can lower high triglyceride levels. These include a prescription-only form of EPA (an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish) called icosapent ethyl. According to Harvard Health, it lowers triglycerides and, when taken with a statin (a class of drug that works in the liver to prevent cholesterol from forming), lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from cardiac causes by 26 percent in people with either diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Fibrate medications, such as fenofibrate and gemfibrozil, can lower your triglyceride levels, and niacin can lower your triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. Consult your doctor before taking over-the-counter niacin because it can cause significant side effects and interact with other medications.
