Triglycerides are a combination of three fatty acids that are smaller than cholesterol but can also line the blood vessels with fatty deposits and need to be carefully measured. People with high triglycerides tend to have lower levels of HDL, which is the good cholesterol.
How to Lower Triglyceride Levels
Triglycerides should be kept at a level below 150 milligrams, and ideally under 100 milligrams. While your gender, age, and genetics may be determining factors you can’t control, there are a number of things you can monitor to manage or lower triglyceride levels, which may also help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, such as:
• Your diet
• Your body weight
• Your level of physical activity
• Not smoking – which can have as much of an effect as the first three, all of which we are born with.
• Eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, or taking omega-3 supplements
Fish oil supplements have been shown to benefit heart health by maintaining healthy triglyceride levels. Fish oil is thought to be healthful because it is composed of rich sources of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega-3 type. The two most heavily researched components of fish oil are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).