How Can You Lower High Triglycerides Naturally? 

Why do high triglycerides matter?

Elevated triglycerides, called hypertriglyceridemia, can increase your risk of heart attack, heart disease and stroke. If your triglycerides are high enough, they can increase your risk of a life-threatening condition called pancreatitis.

What level of triglycerides is considered high?

The cutoff is 150 milligrams per deciliter, or 1.69 millimoles per liter if your country measures it that way. Above that, you are at increased risk for heart attack, heart disease and stroke. Above 500 milligrams per deciliter, or 5.65 millimoles per liter, you are at greatly increased risk of pancreatitis, which can be fatal.

Are high triglycerides genetic?

Many doctors, dietitians and other health care providers will tell you it's genetic and there's nothing you can do about it. There is a tiny genetic component, meaning some people are more likely to have high triglycerides than others. In my view, that is not the root cause. It just increases your likelihood. The root cause is what you eat and what you drink.

Do medications fix high triglycerides?

Your doctor will almost always want to add a pill, whether that's a statin, a prescription strength omega-3 fatty acid like Lovaza or Vascepa, or a fibrate like Lopid or Tricor. These do lower your triglycerides a little bit, some of them not much at all. But they don't address the root cause or correct the underlying problem that caused your high triglycerides.

What are the 5 steps to lower triglycerides?

1. Decrease your total carbohydrate intake. Eliminate the highly processed carbs first: cookies, pies, cakes, candy, breakfast cereals, pastries, jams, jellies, sauces and syrups. These spike your blood sugar and make your liver turn sugar into triglycerides. For many people, cutting the junk is all they need. Many people get back to normal by getting under 100 grams of total carbs a day. Others, probably people with that genetic predisposition, have to go down to 50 total grams a day, cutting out lots of fruit and other seemingly healthy carbs.
2. Focus on lowering your fructose intake. Get rid of soft drinks and other drinks with high fructose corn syrup or sucrose, since sucrose is made of glucose and fructose. Fruit juices carry a ton of fructose and sugar too. Some have more than soft drinks, so for most people fruit juices and fruit juice smoothies are just as bad for high triglycerides.
3. Replace the carbs you removed with good healthy fats from animals and from plants. Remember, eating fat does not raise your triglycerides.
4. Cut back on alcohol. Some people only need to get down to one or two drinks a day. Others have to become almost abstinent. In my opinion, normal triglycerides are so important for your health and longevity that it's worth never having another drink if you are one of those people.
5. Review all of your medications, prescription and over the counter, because some medications are known to raise triglycerides.