What Affects Triglyceride Levels?

According to Optimal-heart-health.com, triglycerides are chemicals that store fats and account for roughly 95 percent of the body's fat tissue. The foods we eat contain triglycerides and are converted from other fat-free foods such as carbohydrates.

Common Cause

• If we consume more calories than we burn, our bodies have more triglycerides than it can deal with, so they go into storage.

Thyroid involvement

• Certain disease states can cause high triglycerides, most commonly hypothyroidism (low-functioning thyroid) because it slows metabolism overall and causes an accumulation of triglycerides.

Kidney Disease

• Typically kidney disease is associated with diabetes, and diabetes is associated with obesity and poor diet. Those in combination can cause elevated triglycerides.

Other Causes

• When too much fat is consumed or if the liver is taxed by underlying liver disease, it can cause an overaccumulation of triglycerides in the body. Certain medications, such as birth-control pills and hormone-replacement pills, can cause high triglycerides as a potential side effect.

Effects

• Having high triglycerides causes virtually no symptoms. However, in rare cases it can cause pancreatitis, resulting in severe abdominal pain.

Prevention/Solution

• There are cholesterol medications on the market that help control triglyceride levels. However, the best prevention is a diet low in fat and calories, as well as daily exercise.