The fatty tissue in the human body stores a group of specific fatty compounds called triglycerides (TGs) - these compounds circulates in the bloodstream of human beings.
An increased risk of heart disease is connected to elevated levels of these TGs in the blood of an individual; this condition is otherwise known as hypertriglyceridemia, the condition thus brings about a greater susceptibility to heart disease.
Individuals afflicted with metabolic disorders like diabetes are often found to have elevated levels of TGs in the blood stream.
The normalization of this elevation of the triglycerides is often accomplished by a successful control of the diabetes in the body of the person.
Fatty deposits in the skin called xanthomas, the enlargement of the spleen and the liver tissues and conditions such as pancreatitis often develop in individuals suffering from elevated levels of triglycerides in the circulating blood.
The appearance of symptoms caused by high triglyceride levels in the body is possible only when other conditions such as heart disease or disorders of the blood vessels develop.
These symptoms will not appear if these related conditions do not otherwise exist in the body of the affected individual.
The reduction of these high triglyceride levels in the body can only be carried out when the affected individual limits his or her consumption of all kinds of processed foods, all the simple sugars, drinks that contain alcohol, and all forms of saturated fats.
Such patients also need to reduce their body weight to rid themselves of the excess fatty tissue deposits.
Triglycerides are found abundantly in various foods that contain animal products, these items include foods such as eggs, meat, and all dairy products -these fats are also abundant in tropical oils used for cooking such as those from the coconut and palm oil.
Some factors depend on the severity of the causative action, thus, high triglyceride levels do not seem to be affected when a person consumes reasonable amounts of alcohol, but on the other hand heavy and prolonged drinking is remains as an important reason of hypertriglyceridemia and can substantially compromise the health of the individual.
Therefore to avoid these complications, all alcoholics must be treated for alcoholism first as it is a disease in itself, once this has been done, treatment for hypertriglyceridemia can begin.
TG levels in the blood stream can also rise to extreme levels if large amounts of refined sugars are consumed in the diet.
This is the reason that the consumption of sugar containing food items, sweets and all sugar laden products must be avoided by people with elevated TG levels in the blood.
The amount of fructose ingested in a characteristic western diet can also raise triglycerides levels to a great extent-however; this has to be borne out by further scientific studies on appropriate subjects.
This is because most studies have concentrated on investigating the role of ingested refined fructose and not the natural fructose which is the main sugar found in most fruits and many plant products.
The consumption of high amounts of caffeine in diet is also another factor that can greatly increase the presence of triglycerides in the body.
For example some individuals who consume an average of 560 milligrams of caffeine daily from tea and coffee had elevated TG levels according to a study on a group of consumers who drank both tea and coffee.
This factor is further proved as accurate to some extent and a statistically significant reduction of up to 25% of the TG level was observed when such individuals changed to decaffeinated coffee and eliminated all other products with caffeine for a period lasting two weeks during the study.
While clinical trials have not substantiated these results, it has been suggested that high TG levels can be reduced by the consumption of high fiber diets.
In this regard, the levels of triglycerides in the body can be effectively lowered by the consumption of certain water-soluble fibers; these include substances such as pectin found abundantly in fruit, in guar gum and in other gums observed in beans, and substances like beta-glucan found in grains like oats.
The level of triglycerides in the body was also significantly reduced in the body of patients through the consumption of a low-fat diet that was also high in carbohydrates.
This result is not substantiated by the results of another research that shows that many populations consuming a diet that was low-fat and high in carbohydrates possessed significantly higher levels of TGs, when they were compared to other populations which normally consumed a diet low in carbohydrates.
The trick is in a gradual shift to a diet low in fat, as many times an abrupt switch to a diet high in carbohydrates and low in fat leads to a temporary increase in the level of TGs within the body - however, this complication can be avoided by a gradual change of the diet.
The likelihood of coronary heart disease in individuals with high levels of triglycerides in the blood can be observed much better after a meal than when the individual is fasting.
This result was not observed in a group of patients with hypertriglyceridemia, even when they were given a low-fat diet, that was broken down into 55% carbohydrates content, 23% fat content and 22% content of proteins.
This diet failed to normalize the post-meal triglycerides levels in this particular group during the study, this is in stark contrast to such a diet brining down lipid levels in other normal people even during a fasting level.
Thus from these results it can be gleaned that the dietary reduction of TG levels, may not be sufficient to offset the probability of coronary heart disease occurring nor would it be able to give optimal protection, this is despite the presence of diet controls on other blood lipids.
Therefore the reduction of the level of triglycerides in the blood and the avoidance of the risk of heart disease is sought to be achieved by the intake of a low saturated fat diet.
These fats are rich in red meats and all dairy products except non-fat dairy - most dieticians and many doctors recommend this form of dietary restrictions for their patients.
The reduction of heart disease is also associated by some studies to increasing eating of fish, though this is not borne out by all researches in this direction.
This can be seen in the fact that the consumption of food fishes such as black cod, albacore tuna, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, herring and salmon led to a major amounts of reduction in the level of triglycerides in the body.
This is because such fish meat is rich in a triglycerides-lowering EPA and DHA (omega-3 fatty acids).
The consumption of the meat of these fishes is thus the main dietary recommendation of many doctors to their patients who suffer from high triglycerides levels in the blood.
The ability of fish oils that are rich in DHA and EPA have been demonstrated to have an excellent ability to reduce the levels of triglycerides during double-blind trials in a large number of patients.
The patients received approximately 3,000 milligrams daily of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil during the dietary research that was conducted to bring out of these results.
A simple way to estimate the amount of omega-3 fatty acid contained in a fish-oil supplement, is to simply add together the DHA and EPA of the whole supplement.
Calculated in this way a supplement of 120 mg of DHA and 180 mg of EPA will provide a total of about 300 mg of the omega-3 fatty acids in the diet.
Thus the omega-3 fatty acid content of 10 of the capsules would be 3,000 mg, fish oils are important supplements in that, many other sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as the oil of the flaxseed are not able to bring about the same reduction in triglyceride levels within the individuals body.
This is the reason supplementation to reduce triglyceride levels are not carried out through the consumption of flaxseed oil, even though this oil is useful in many other respects and is generally applied towards the treatment of many other conditions.
Triglyceride levels can also be reduced through the use of cod liver oil, which is a major source of omega-3 fatty acids, which has been found very effective in reducing triglyceride levels in an affected individual.
Because of the fact that it is often cheaper then most of the other fish oil concentrates, the use of cod liver oil is preferred by many patients.
The use of the cod liver oil must however be monitored as it contains great amounts of A and D vitamins, therefore its overuse can lead to other complications in the body and lead to side effects that are often unpredictable.
With regard to this factor many of the fish-oil concentrates are considered safer because they posses very minute quantities of these vitamins or none of the vitamins in some oils.
It is therefore advisable to have a doctor suggest a supplemental regimen when a patient wishes to take oil of cod liver as a substitute for a fish-oil concentrate during supplementation for the treatment of high triglyceride levels in the body.
It is reported that the utilization of the omega-3 fatty acids found in many fish and cod liver oils have prevents the possibility of heart diseases occurring by affecting the blood in various ways.
There is also a slight risk involved in the use of these supplemental oils as the levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad form of cholesterol) often increases in the patient's bloodstream.
Since this effect due to fish oils and the cod liver oil can differ from individual to individual, the examination of a doctor will be necessitated in order to discover probable individuals who have a susceptibility to this increase in the levels of blood cholesterol.
However, the whole side effect can be avoided by combining 900 milligrams of extract of garlic to the fish oil used for supplementation, research indicated that while this mixture lowers the triglyceride levels in the blood, it does not lead to an increased LDL cholesterol level within the body no matter what the level of susceptibility.
Thus according to this particular research, the consumption of garlic supplements along with the regular supplements of fish oils may provide an avenue where it is possible to avoid the raise in LDL cholesterol that can occur during supplementation using fish oils in most patients who have a susceptibility of this sort.
Because of the ability of the oils to cause damaging oxidation reactions in the body, supplements of the vitamin E are also often recommended for use by people who are already taking fish oil as supplements to ward off triglyceride levels within the body.
What is still not verified is the amount of vitamin E that should be supplemented along with the fish oil to prevent enough of these oxidation reactions from occurring within the body of the individual.
A suggested methodology is that the required amount would be dependant on the fish oil amount used in the main supplements by the patient.
Individual's, who consumed 6 grams of fish oil supplements during one clinical study, needed about 300 IU of E vitamin a day as additional supplementation to prevent oxidation damage within the body.
The essential B complex vitamin, vitamin B5 also known as pantothenic acid has a byproduct known as pantethine within the body.
The triglyceride levels in the body can be significantly lowered by the use of this byproduct as happened during several clinical studies, where patients used 300 milligrams of pantethine at dosages of about three times every day during the treatment regimen.
The same effect cannot be achieved by the pantothenic acid, form of the B vitamin; in all cases only the use of the byproduct was able to bring significant results.
The triglyceride levels in the body can also be reduced by supplements of vitamin B3 (the niacin form); this vitamin is normally prescribed by doctors to bring about a reduction in the cholesterol levels in people suffering from high cholesterol.
Several grams of niacin taken daily as supplements will be sufficient to bring abut a significant reduction in the levels of both cholesterol and triglycerides in an individual suffering from a heightened level of these compounds.
These supplements must always be suggested by a doctor and should only be used under medical supervision as the use of such high quantities often leads to the appearance of many side effects.
These can include the potential and real risk of liver damage, and other internal organs within the body of the patient.
As an equally effective alternative to the use of niacin, the compound known as inositol hexaniacinate - which is a special form of the vitamin B3 is often prescribed by doctors.
Dosages of about 500 mg taken thrice daily are the usual recommended dose for patients who have been suggested this form of the vitamin as a supplement.
The advantage of supplementation using this form of the vitamin B3 is that it is safer for the liver when compared with niacin and doesn't typically bring about a skin flush in the individual who is undergoing treatment even in high doses for a prolonged period of time.
On this point of safety, the highly anecdotal account of the relative safety benefit of inositol hexaniacinate over niacin still requires additional research to confirm it.
This is further complicated by the fact that the ability of the inositol hexaniacinate in reducing triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels may not be as useful as niacin, this point also needs confirmation.
People with elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the body also showed a statistically significant reduction of 35% during a preliminary study, in which supplementation was carried out using 800 milligrams of the essential mineral calcium taken every day for a testing period of a year.
These results were very positive even thought the time period involved was long.
Triglyceride levels did not show any reduction in another group of people, during another confirmation trial carried out using calcium as supplements-the triglyceride levels in all the patients did not reduce to any significant degree.
A factor could be that the prolonged trial had more volunteers who had extremely high levels of triglyceride levels when compared to the second group involved in the next trial.
Another significant study used involved people with diabetes type 2-non insulin dependant, during this double blind trial the test subjects were administered 200 mcg of the essential mineral chromium every day for a total of two months.
The chromium was in the form of chromium picolinate at the same time and this was followed by supplementation using a placebo for the two months following the chromium supplements.
Compared to the two months during which the patients received only the placebos, the chromium supplementation phase led to an average reduction in the triglyceride levels by a very significant level averaging 17.4% in all the test subjects.
These initial findings have found supporting evidence in some other confirmation trials, but not in all subsequent trials. It's not obvious if supplementation of chromium affects triglycerides levels in non-diabetics. Some facts advocates that it doesn't.
Several clinical studies undertaken on patients with a high triglyceride level in the blood received some beneficial lowering of the level of TG's in the blood through the use of the compound known as L-carnitine.
Because of some reports that several patients often experience an increase in the level of triglyceride levels, it is still unclear in what way carnitine acts within the body and hence its use as a supplement is still to be researched.
At the present, the use of the L-carnithine form of the compound is normally suggested by some doctors at dosage levels of 1-3 g of carnitine a day during the treatment of elevated levels of triglycerides in the body of an affected individual.
Another compound that has been investigated in many double-blind studies is FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) or the related compound called inulin.
These studies have focused on the ability of these compounds to lower the elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides within the body.
While the trials showed no significant reduction in the cholesterol levels, in people with high levels of cholesterol or triglycerides, which included individuals with diabetes type 2, the use of inulin or FOS at doses between 8 to 20 g administered daily, the triglycerides levels showed a significant lowering in all the test subjects.
Both FOS and inulin produced insignificant and little result in all normal individuals having on an average low triglyceride or cholesterol levels. Thus these compounds have no effect on normal levels of cholesterol or triglycerides in otherwise healthy individuals.
A variable effect on triglyceride levels were observed in studies using the compound known as policosanol on test subjects, the serum triglyceride levels of individuals showed has been variable effects, and supplements had no effect in some patients while in the others there was up to 19% reduction in the triglyceride levels.
Policasanol has been found to be equally effective as many cholesterol lowering drugs like statins as revealed by several controlled studies on patients with an elevated cholesterol problem.
There are different forms of the compound and the policosanols which are extracted from beeswax or some other source may differ in their effectiveness from the sugar-cane-derived preparations which are composed of long-chain alcohols.
It is disputed whether these forms of the compound are as useful as the ones that are usually utilized from supplemental purposes.
Both men and women achieved significant reduction in the levels of serum triglycerides during a double-blind study that utilized a supplement constituted of 5 g of creatine taken along with 1g of glucose four times every day for 5 days which was supplemented with twice daily for fifty one days.
Both groups of patients showed lowered levels of serum triglycerides in the blood.
These same results could not be achieved by athletes who were administered creatine through a 3 months strength training program as part of a double blind trial.
However it should be noted here that in the second test showing unfavorable results the use of creatine supplementation on the athletes was lesser.
It was only five grams of total supplement per day per person at least during the last eleven weeks of the trial and may not necessarily reflect the real effectiveness of the compound in relieving triglyceride levels within the body.
Ayurvedic medication systems from India have traditionally used guggul, which is actually a mix of ketonic steroids extracted from the gum oleoresin of the commiphora mukul.
This substance has been the traditional and age old approved treatment for hyperlipidemia in Ayurveda, and in India, atherosclerosis and related conditions have been traditionally treated using this ayurvedic herbal approach.
The treatment of high triglyceride levels in the body have been shown to be effective using guggul as an herbal medication, this is borne out by the fact that the level of serum triglycerides fell by 30.3% during one particular trial.
Prolonged and controlled trials done on an extensive basis still have to confirm these findings and the effectiveness of the substance in lowering triglyceride levels if any.
The amount of guggul sterones in the extract used during the supplementation will decide the dosage level recommended for daily intake in the treatment of the disorder.
A dosage level of 25 mg per day is the typical recommended amount of the guggul-sterones during the treatment of the individual with a high triglyceride level within the bloodstream.
About 5-10% of guggul-sterones per supplement is the normal dosage in the extracts used during supplementation.
To lower the level of triglycerides, prolonged used of guggul may be undertaken, though it is important to monitor the effect of guggul on the TGs for a period lasting from 3 to 4 months at a time.
Garlic is another supplement that can help in the reduction of triglycerides in the blood and many of the reports from a variety of clinical trials utilizing the garlic up to about 1998 suggest an average of 8-27% reduction in triglyceride levels and a further reduction in the cholesterol by 9-12% over a supplemental period lasting from a month to a 4-month period per individual.
The supplemental level of garlic during these trials was about 600-900 mg of garlic per day; this garlic supplement was standardized to stabilize the content of alliin and the allicin potential in the garlic.
However, the potential of garlic to lower cholesterol and triglyceride has been shown to have a minimal effect during 3 double-blind clinical studies undertaken on a group of patients having extremely low levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the body.
Some of these clinical trials that showed negative results used the same standardized garlic supplements as the ones used in the trials showing a positive result but one particular trial used steam distilled garlic "oil" which has no proven effectiveness against these conditions.
Therefore as far as lowering the elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the body is concerned and partially based on these secondary findings the utilization of garlic as a supplement shouldn't be the primary approach during any treatment regimen.
The usual supplementation of garlic is done though the administration of an odor controlled and enteric-coated garlic tablet, which are pre-standardized for their allicin content, the dosage amounts are typically 900 mg taken on a daily basis.
This will provide approximately 5,000 to 6,000 mcg of allicin and can be divided into 2 or 3 different portions every day of the treatment regimen.
Traditional Persian medication also uses an herb called the Achilla wilhelmsii, this herb was used during a double-blind study, on people affected by a moderately high triglyceride level, and the trial used the supplemental form of the Achillea wilhelmsii tincture on the participants during the trial.
The trail lasted a period of six months in total during which the participants were administered 15-20 tincture drops two times each day for the six months it took to complete the study.
Those participants who were administered the actual herb showed significant reduction in the levels of triglycerides in the blood compared to the controlled subjects on a placebo by the time the trial ended.
The use of this herb as a supplement produced no adverse effects and side effects were not observed.
People with elevated levels of triglycerides and bad cholesterol (LDL) can also be carried out through supplementation with the herb known as the fenugreek.
This reduction in the levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol was achieved in individuals with high lipid levels during preliminary trials where bread made using 50 grams of fat free powder of fenugreek was consumed two times every day by the test subjects as a supplement.
In diabetics and other individuals with elevated levels of different lipids half the amount of fenugreek was sufficient to bring about a reduction in the levels of lipids and cholesterol including triglycerides.
The regular and daily utilization of fenugreek seeds during a small and randomized trial established similar results, this trial utilized 100 g of fenugreek seeds as a single dose during the study.
In addition to these results, high or elevated triglyceride levels were reduced over a 20 day period during a one clinical study where 25 grams to 50 grams of fat free powder of fenugreek seed per day was utilized as supplement.
Fenugreek utilization has its downside, in that symptoms during the first days of initial use of the powder can bring about problems such as mild diarrhea and will lead to the production of gas, in general these symptoms tend to disappear as the patient slowly adapts to the fenugreek powder.
During some clinical trails the husks and seeds of the psyllium have been shown to possess a modest ability to decrease the blood triglyceride levels in some affected individuals, similar results were not obtainable in all other studies and results may differ from one individual to the other.
Because most of the studies that have been conducted related to the use of psyllium are to probe the possibility of reducing the levels of cholesterol, a lot of further research will become necessary to completely check and assess the effect of psyllium in the reduction of triglyceride levels in affected individuals.
The levels of triglycerides in the blood is not effected by the consumption of 3 cups or less of green tea on a daily basis, by individuals affected with high cholesterol or triglyceride levels within the body.
However, the anecdotal evidence is supported by the fact that triglyceride levels did show a significant reduction in the blood of affected individuals who consumed 4 or more cups a day as a treatment for elevated blood triglycerides.
A lot of research still has to be undertaken to support any evidence or relationship between lowered triglyceride levels and the consumption of green tea by such patients.
Elevated triglyceride levels can also be lowered through the consumption of red yeast rice extracts which are rich in compounds known as monacolins and while these are primarily used to lower high serum cholesterol levels - enough evidence exist to support their role in reducing triglyceride levels.
This evidence was deduced during a study where individuals were administered 1.2 g-nearly equivalent to 13.5 milligram total monacolins.
In the form of a red yeast rice extract concentrate, the dosages were given one time every day during the whole of the two months during which the trial was conducted.
Because of alleged patent infringement claimed in a lawsuit, currently the sale of the substance known as cholestin has been prohibited in the U.S.
While this red yeast rice extract is not available, alternate red yeast rice products with a dissimilar chemical constitution to that of cholestin are currently available in the US domestic market.
While most of these are a very poor substitute for cholestin, because of the fact that none of them contains the full complement of ten monacolin compounds, there exist added risks in such products, as some of them contain a potentially poisonous fermentation product which is called citrinin as a constituent.
Therefore, the use of cholestin is to be preferred and the use of red yeast rice extracts other than cholestin must not be undertaken till such times as thorough research has been done on their composition and effects if any.
In addition to other supplements, the levels of all fats and lipids in the blood can be reduced through the consumption of maitake mushrooms, so some animal studies seem to suggest.
Because this research has not been carried out on human subjects and is at a preliminary stage, it is largely inconclusive and positive results if any from the consumption of maitake mushrooms by human remain open to conjecture.
Triglyceride levels in the body can be effectively lowered through regular and daily exercise and most physical exertion is very beneficial in the thorough treatment of elevated cholesterol or triglyceride problems.
The supervision of a medical practitioner is necessary before an exercise regimen is entered upon by individuals who have conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, and advice from a doctor must be sought by all individuals over forty years of age.
While it is sensible for all smokers to quit smoking, it is also beneficial in that elevated levels of triglycerides in the body have been linked to activities like smoking.
Quitting smoking is also beneficial to overall health in general and immediately reduces the chances of other debilitating conditions occurring in an individual.
Additional protection can also be obtained from the negative effects of an elevated triglyceride levels in the bloodstream by maintaining one's ideal body weight and staying fit.
Because of the fact that losing extra weight immediately lowers triglyceride levels in the body, the majority of doctors encourage their patients to do so as a part of treatment.
Losing weight is one of the most effective and immediate steps that can be carried out to rid one of elevated triglyceride levels.
