Tri-glycerides

[Eileen Collins]

If a 50 year old, in excellent shape and health, exercises regularly and watches diet, is 170lbs and 5'11", triglycerides are in the 400 range, total cholesteral is 163.  How can this person get down the tryglicerides to a more normal range?  His doctor is not concerned about it at all.  thankyou

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

The role that triglycerides in heart disease is not as clear as that of cholesterol and there has not been a general move to treatment of lone elevation of the triglycerides.  However, in  high risk individuals some doctors are now treating high triglycerides with medications such as gemfibrazole.

[ginny]

Dear Eileen,
I have family members-Husband, Daughter, and Mother-In-Law-who have this problem.  There exists a condition called hypertriglycerdemia-A genetic tendency to have high triglycerides.  This is usually associated with Insulin Resistance, familial history of high blood pressure, Diabetes Type II, Hypoglycemia, and PCOS in female family members.  Doctors think that  body tissues are resistant to the hormone insulin.  Currently,  only diabetics are treated with drugs that modify the body's response to insulin.  Others-PCOS sufferers, people with high triglycerides and/or high blood pressure, hypoglycemics-are treated with lipid lowering medications only when they have high LDLs/cholesterol.  They are not treated(except experimentally)with insulin sensitizing medications.  If any of this applies to you-family history, hypoglycemia, PCOS(also Androgen Dysfunction)investigate "Insulin Resistance" on the WEB.  Others who deal with these conditions can give you nonpharmacuetical ways to deal with high triglycerides.  I hope this is helpful.
Sincerely,
Ginny