Natural ways to lower your triglyceride levels

Have you been told you have high triglyceride levels? Perhaps you want to know what caused it and what you can do to lower your triglycerides. In this article we take a deep dive into what triglycerides are, there relevance on a blood test, optimal ranges for triglyceride levels and then look at what you can do to improve your triglyceride levels.

What are triglycerides?

Triglycerides are a type of fat that we primarily obtain from our diet and are composed of 3 fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule. These fatty acids can be short/medium chained like saturated fats or long chained like mono or polyunsaturated fats.

Whilst these different types of fatty acids provide us with unique health benefits, a primary function of these fats collectively is to either be used up as energy by the heart and muscles or, we could also store it as adipose tissue (body fat) for later use.

We often assume that the fat on our bodies comes exclusively from the fats that we eat within our diets, but it’s important to understand that we can store all macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, and protein) as body fat when there is a calorie surplus present (Yilmaz et al, 2016).

Whilst storing dietary fat as body fat is the body’s preferred choice, through a process called de novo lipogenesis we can convert other macronutrients like protein and carbohydrates into fats to store as well.

When we see triglycerides on a blood panel, it is referring to the amount of fats measured in our blood, not the actual amount of body fat that we have. Throughout the rest of this article, I will discuss the clinical relevance of having high triglycerides and how this might impact your metabolic health.

Optimal fasting triglyceride ranges

The optimal fasting ranges are generally 0.5 – 1 mmol/L however some panels have a higher upper threshold of around 1.24mmol/L. Bear in mind that most “normal” ranges will be anything below 1.7-2.3 depending on the lab and country who have set the range. Unfortunately, if you are returning a triglyceride level in the normal range but above optimal, there are imbalances already present that you should be trying to address.

Why are triglycerides elevated on a blood test?

Seeing an increase in serum triglycerides is often a cause for concern as this is one of the first signs of metabolic syndrome and/or insulin resistance. Metabolic syndrome describes a cluster of 5 signs/markers that when 3 or more are present, increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. An elevated triglyceride of over 1.69mmol/L being one of them (American Heart Association, 2023).

In a healthy person, triglycerides are taken away from the blood and rediverted to areas of the body to exert its beneficial effects. The rest that is not immediately needed by the body is then stored away for later use.

This picture of elevated blood triglycerides is often part of a larger metabolic problem and generally points towards some form of insulin resistance. A great way to understand what is happening here is to think of our blood vessels as the motorway/highway. Our vast network of blood vessels running throughout our body is the motorway that carries travellers (carbs and fats) to their city of destination (muscle, liver, adipose tissue).

In an optimal world, we want the travellers to come off the motorway effectively and efficiently when they reach their destinations but when we have insulin resistance present, it’s as if the slip roads coming off the motorway entering the major cities are blocked off, creating high amounts of congestion and traffic.

The congestion and build up on the motorway then result in car accidents, car honking and general damage. Similarly, a build up of glucose and fats in the blood vessels results in inflammation and damage to the vessels which results in increased blood pressure amongst other things.

So, what was the cause of this all in the first place?

One way to look at it is that there were too many cars on the motorway entering the major cities with no cars leaving the other way. This results in the gradual overpopulation of the major cities which leads to the eventual shutdown of the slip roads to prevent any more cars entering as the cities couldn’t accept or handle any more.

Likewise, when there is an excess of calories going into the body (chronically), without enough coming out or being burned for energy, the ‘major cities’ (adipose, muscle and liver) become more and more saturated and full of carbs and fats.

Over time, the mechanisms behind the ‘entry’ point to the adipose, muscle and liver become dysfunctional, leading to a build-up in the blood. Given enough time, this can become dangerous.

There are other reasons outside of the typical energy excess that leads to the under clearance of blood fats.

For example, a slow thyroid (hypothyroidism) can inhibit lipoprotein lipase activity, which is a key enzyme used to break down triglycerides in the blood to be used as energy (Mavromati & Jornayvaz, 2021).

Chronic psychological stress could also be part of this picture as our catecholamines like adrenaline and noreadrenaline release fatty acids into the bloodstream, again, for energy, as part of our fight or flight response (Anni et al, 2021).

From a dietary perspective, it is generally the increased consumption of refined carbohydrates/sugars that can lead to increased triglycerides as this eating pattern usually results in an excess of energy intake. (Kelly et al, 2023)

Excessive consumption of alcohol can also raise triglyceride levels as this pushes up VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) production by the liver, which is one of the main carrying vehicles for triglycerides in the blood. Alcohol also seems to inhibit lipoprotein lipase activity as well, an enzyme that helps with the metabolism of fats (Van de Wiel, 2012).

What can you do to lower triglycerides naturally?

As you can see, there are a variety of reasons for elevated triglycerides in the blood. Most are in your control, some are not. For the ones that are, optimising nutrition intake and engaging in lifestyle changes should be first line protocol.

Reduce Alcohol Consumption

Perhaps one of the first things to address is alcohol, as excessive intake will be elevating triglyceride levels on several fronts. Not only can it drive up VLDL production in the liver, but it could also stop the body from breaking down fats, a process called lipolysis. Alcohol is also a major source of empty calories and could be exacerbating potential weight gain and obesity (Klop et al, 2013).

Reduce Body fat

Being overweight / having obesity is also likely going to be influencing triglyceride levels negatively with approximately 70% of obese patients having dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides, elevated LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol) (Feingold, 2023).

The amount of weight loss required to see improvements in health markers are generally quite modest and therefore should also be a first line protocol. A study conducted by Magkos et al, showed that a 5% reduction in weight lowered intrahepatic triglycerides by 13%, whereas a weight loss reduction of 11% lowered triglycerides by 52% (Ryan & Yockey 2017).

Reduce Saturated Fats

Clearly, a chronic energy excess plays a big part in high triglyceride levels but what about from a dietary perspective?

According to the American Heart Association, replacing 1% of daily energy intake from saturated fats with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats can lower triglycerides by 0.9 or 0.4 mg/dL respectively (Sacks et al, 2017). Diets high in saturated fats are known to contribute towards insulin resistance which can increase triglyceride levels as discussed earlier (Sears & Perry, 2015).

Reducing or replacing oils that contain predominantly saturated fats like coconut oil, palm oil or butter with foods richer in monounsaturated fats likes of olives, avocado and nuts could form part of the strategy.

Prioritise Omega 3

There are also studies showing that prioritising more omega 3’s in the diet can be beneficial in clearing excess triglycerides by upregulating lipoprotein lipase, thus aiding fat metabolism (Park & Harris, 2002). Good sources include oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, as well as plant-based sources like chia seeds and flaxseeds.

Increase Fibre Consumption

There are also associations between a diet of high refined carbs, low fibre intake and elevated triglyceride levels (Fu et al, 2022). High fibre diets have consistently proven to be beneficial for lowering cardiovascular disease risk (Threapleton et al, 2013). As a baseline, we should be aiming for 14g of fiber per 1000kcal.

Given the above, this is likely why the traditional Mediterranean style diet has shown significant benefit in lowering cardiovascular disease risk.

Exercise More

Regular exercise can also improve triglyceride levels. This study showed slightly better outcomes with resistance training than endurance training at clearing triglyceride rich VLDL from circulation however they concluded that both forms of exercise could and should be included in an exercise program (Magkos et al, 2008).

Summary

Triglycerides come primarily from the foods that we eat and serve various functions in the human body, supplying energy being an important one.

Serum fasting triglyceride levels should ideally be in the 0.5 – 1mmol/L range but elevated levels could signify a breakdown in the body’s ability to clear these fats out of the blood.

There are various reasons why somebody might have elevated triglycerides but many times this would coincide with an excess consumption of calories, leading to either insulin resistance, obesity, or both.

Things to consider for first line of treatment would be to evaluate and optimise nutrition intake, especially around alcohol intake, saturated fats, and fibre.

Exercise should also form an integral component of the protocol as this supports insulin sensitivity and promotes good utilisation of fats as energy.

You can learn more about how we support clients on our Cardiovascular Health page.

References

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