What Are High Triglyceride Levels?

Do you have high triglyceride levels? If you do, you’re hardly alone. Overall, more than a third of adults in the U.S. have high triglyceride levels, a type of fat in the blood.

Although it’s a common problem, many of us don’t know the first thing about high triglyceride . Studies have consistently linked high triglycerides levels with heart disease, heart attacks and stroke, especially in people with low levels of “good” HDL Cholesterol and in those with  Type II Diabetes.

The good news is that there’s a lot you can do on your own to lower triglycerides and improve health.

First, find out if your triglycerides are high. Then, find out what to do about it.

Know Your Triglyceride Numbers

Here are the levels, based on a  fasting blood test.

• Normal: Less than 150 mg/dL
• Borderline: 150 to 199 mg/dL
• High: 200 to 499 mg/dL
• Very High: 500 mg/dL or above

When your triglyceride levels are too high, you may not have symptoms. It’s a “silent” problem with big implications, such as a four-fold increase in the likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke.

A simple blood test is all it takes to check your  triglyceride levels. If they’re too high, you can get them back under control, often by changing your daily habits.

If you already know that your triglyceride levels are too high, the actions you take now might even save your life.

Triglycerides and Blood Sugar

Having high triglycerides could be a sign that you’re becoming insulin-resistant, which means your body isn’t using insulin  (a hormone that controls blood sugar properly.)

When insulin doesn’t do its job, glucose can’t get into your cells. That raises your sugar levels, which can lead to pre-diabetes and, eventually, type 2 diabetes.