triglycerides and heart health

[Mom2Girls]

My husband went to the Dr for a check-up and everything was good except his triglycerides are 270! This is VERY high. Cholesterol is 200, not bad. I want to help him to lower his triglyceride level, but how? I know beer will make them go up and fatty foods but what else can we do to get them down. He has a history of heart problems in his family and has had an irregular heart beat at one point. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Lifestar]

Mom2 girls... Triglycerides are essentially a component of the blood that help make up the VLDL fats.. (the Very Low Density Lipoproteins)...

It has been shown that the restricted carbohydrate diets have some effect on lowering triglyceride levels. You should check with your DH's doctor about what she/he recommends.

The American Heart Association, recommends following a standard low-fat/high fiber diet, and getting plenty of aerobic exercise, at least 20 minutes, 3 times per week, as part of any cholesterol-lowering program

Valerie

[Bilby]

In Australia we do our cholesterole measuring different to the US. I have a problem and have been on tables for 4yrs now, only a light dose. Diet alone didn't change my results. My medication has halved my cholesterole. I now have 3.4 down from 6.1

I was told to exercise more and watch my diet. We also have a margerine that is heart approved and 3 serves a day helps keep your cholesterole down I was very sceptical at first because you're told to keep away from fatty foods but it's true this margerine does help along with diet (unfortunately I still need tabs)
It's a Meadowlea Canola spread with plant sterols and omega 3. Sorry I can't be more specific because you probably don't have that brand. But you can be on the look out.

[Lifestar]

Kathy.. we have a similar spread here.. I can't remember the name now.. but it has the plant sterols and esters too...


Any monounsaturated fats used inplace of saturated fats will lower your LDL's and raise your HDL's..

And eating fatty fish also provide you with Omega-3 and Omega-6's ... All very heart-healthy fats


and don't forget the soy for us ladies... Keeps the HOT FLASHES at bay... LOLOL!!

Val

[Bilby]

What hot flashes Val;-) ? I don't have any hot flashes!! LOL

I can't remember which is which with the LDL, HDL. I should write it down.

I was told that even though the Aitkins diet was protein based that it did actually bring down your cholesterole, although I must say that that diet is not for everyone.

[Lifestar]

Hot flashes??? Umm did I say Hot flashes???


lol!

As far as cholesterol.. let me draw a visual analogy for you... Simplistic but it may help...

LDL is the BAD stuff.. it is "LOW Density Lipo-protein".. ( imagine peanut butter slugging through your arteries and sticking to the vessle walls...

HDL is "HIGH Density Lipo-protein"... This is like the Scrub-brushes that come along and scrape the LDL off the vessle walls...

So the LDL is the BAD cholesterol and the HDL is the GOOD cholesterol..and the VLDL..( the VERY LOW Density Lipo-proteins..that you get from eating trans-fats, and hydrogenated oils...) they're like sticky pankake syrupy stuff that even the HDL can't scrape away..and the LDL really likes to stick to...'

OK very symplistic.. like I said, and not chemically correct.. but I am humgry, and you get the picture... LOLOL!



And YES! when I was on Atkins my total cholesterol was way down. That's because you're not processing your fats into your blood stream for storage.... You're burning and excreting them for metabolism... Pretty cool, huh?..

Val

[Bilby]

Val sometimes it's the simpler the better, so I can take it all in

So I'm not making enough HDL, or my brushes aren't working, actually you've given me a good analogy.

[Lifestar]

Glad I could help...

OK.. Here's some ways to make more HDL..

Aerobic exercise... get up and move

replace saturated fats like butter, and margerine ( which is hydrogenated on top of saturated!!) ..with mono-unsaturated fats like canola, and olive oils..



Other than that..you can change the RATIO of LDL to HDL..by lowering your LDL...

That's done by reducing your overall fat intake.. increasing your fiber..and..whatever fats you DO eat ...try to make them Mono-unsaturated, poly-unsaturated, or the Omega-3's and 6's from or friends the fishes...


Read lables ( if Australia has a good food labling system?) and that tells you alot about what you are eating..

The International cardiac care Symposium agrees to keep saturated fats to about 10% of your daily calories... that's not much at all... Maybe a piece of meat...

Baked foods account for A LOT of saturated and hydrogenated fat

[AnnaInOhio]

My friend Melissa had bad Triglicerides last year, she took up delivering the weekly sales flyers to 600 houses and her Trigs went down enough to be taken off the medication. And of course she trimmed down alot too.

Anna

[bluebird]

Grapefruit seed fiber. Comes in huge pills but it works.