Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood, and they form from the foods you eat, especially fats like butter, margarine, and oils. When you consume more calories, sugar, or alcohol than your body needs, your body converts the excess into triglycerides and stores it in fat cells throughout your body. According to Cleveland Clinic’s overview of triglycerides, your body relies on this process as a normal way to store energy, though persistently high levels can become a health concern over time.
What Causes High Triglycerides?
Several health conditions and lifestyle habits often link to elevated triglyceride levels. These include obesity, poorly controlled diabetes, and an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). Kidney disease can also play a role, as can consistently eating more calories than you burn or drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.
Certain medications may contribute to high triglycerides too, such as tamoxifen, steroids, beta-blockers, diuretics, and estrogen or birth control pills. As the CDC explains in its overview of LDL, HDL, and triglycerides, triglycerides work alongside cholesterol as part of your broader lipid profile, so doctors typically consider them together rather than in isolation.
Are There Any Symptoms?
In most cases, high triglyceride levels don’t cause noticeable symptoms. However, in rare genetic cases, fatty deposits may appear under the skin; these are known as xanthomas.
Ways to Naturally Lower Triglyceride Levels
The good news is that lifestyle changes can make a real difference. Here’s how you can support healthy triglyceride levels day to day.
First, aim to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, since excess body weight strongly correlates with elevated triglycerides. Next, reduce added sugars in your diet, as sugar intake directly influences how much triglyceride your body produces. Increasing your physical activity also helps significantly, and quitting smoking supports your cardiovascular health more broadly. Finally, limit your alcohol intake, since alcohol converts readily into triglycerides in the body.
If you’re looking for extra support managing your blood sugar alongside these lifestyle changes, our Sugar Shift tincture offers gentle herbal support that complements a lower-sugar approach. According to Harvard Health’s discussion of high triglycerides, consistent lifestyle changes like these often make a meaningful difference over time, even before considering medication.
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