Disclaimer: I know that answers here fall short of actual medical recommendations and what not. Should I actually be given reason to be concerned, I will hie myself to the offices of a live human being, I promise
I recently had some blood drawn for insurance purposes. They mailed a report to me, and I was normal just about everywhere (except cholesterol, where interestingly enough I was low).
However, according to this lab report, I had a fairly high number for triglycerides - 277 where 0 - 150 is ‘normal’. I had eaten within the hour of the blood being drawn, I’m not particularly overweight at 6’2" ~220lbs. However, there is some history of heart problems in my family.
So - the question. In and of itself, is the high triglyceride count anything to fret about? Should I be at all concerned by this development? Thanks
Now, maybe the fact that you had something to eat before the test messed the results, but you did mention a family history. Any history of diabetes in your family as well?
I had high triglycerides a few years ago and my doctor prescribed taking 900mg of niacin each day. I started with 1 100mg tablets 3 times a day increasing after a week or two to 2 tablets 3 times a day for another week then increasing the dosage to 3 tablets 3 times a day until the triglycerides levels came down to normal limits. IANAD, so ask your doctor about this. Perhaps he doesn’t know about it but it worked for me. When you are taking the niacin, you may notice a side effect of a hot flushing for a few moments, but it seems to be harmless.
Triglyceride levels MUST be measured in the fasting state (ideally 12 to 14 hours). Yours were measured after eating. So, nothing can be said at this point except that the insurance company may be being sneaky, i.e. they may “rate” you on the high triglycerides even though it was an unfair test.
Bottom line: Repeat them after a fast.
In terms of coronary risk and TG’s, IMHO there is an association but not a causal relationship. By themselves, high TG’s do not lead to atherosclerosis. Rather, people with high TG’s often have other coronary risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, low HDL, high insulin levels, etc. etc. So, I would view high TG’s as a risk marker and not a risk factor. Indeed, I am aware of no evidence that lowering TG’s per se leads to reduced coronary risk.
KarlGauss is right. This test is inaccurate without at least an 8 hour fast. High triglycerides, in isolation, are cause for some concern if there is a history of heart problems, and can be treated by eating a lower fat diet or medicines such as niacin (hard to take but it works) or fibrates.
I’ve got the same kind of numbers: insanely high triglycerides, total cholesterol of 160 but with too much LDL.
Dad has the same problem and celebrated his 61st birthday with a 6x bypass.
Ma did some geneology, none of my dad’s male ancestors made it much past 60 if they ever got that far.
So…tell me about this Niacin business? I’ve also heard that B6, B12 & Folic acid are good supps for this as well. Is there any scinece out there about this approach?
There is good evidence for niacin in lowering triglycerides. Same with fibrates, fish oils (with long chain omega fatty acids). A diet high in fiber and low in sugar can also be helpful. I am unaware that B6 and B12 are helpful for triglycerides although they are used to treat sideroblastic anemia and pernicious anemia; dietary deficiency of B6 is rare. Folate is helpful in some hematological disorders and pregnancy but not high fats AFAIK.
Your triglycerides can skyrocket if you are a diabetic/pre-diabetic. I’ve heard doctors say that when someone is diagnosed with diabetes they may as well throw in a cholesterol lowering pill in with the insulin.
Do you exercise, OP? If you don’t, and you started, chances are they’d go down. It’s amazing what just a bit of walking can do.
