Triglycerides are the chemical form of fat found in foods and in your body. When you eat a meal, any unused calories are converted to triglycerides and stored in your fat cells (some triglycerides are also present in your blood stream). Later, they will be released to meet the energy needs of your body.

You’ve likely heard of triglycerides before, as there has been intense research over the past 40 years that confirmed that elevated blood levels of triglycerides, known as hypertriglyceridemia, puts you at an increased risk of heart disease.

Unfortunately, many experts still believe that the way to treat this problem is with a low-fat diet. What is often overlooked with low-fat diets is that people tend to replace the fat with simple carbohydrates, and these are the primary cause of high triglycerides.

There are few absolutes in medicine, but I have yet to see someone with high triglycerides fail to respond to a comprehensive restriction of grain and sugar carbohydrates. I suspect there might be some cases out there, but I haven't seen them.

There is an excellent review of carbohydrate-induced high triglycerides, which thoroughly covers the history and science of my clinical observation, in the February 2000 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

In fact, I wish I would have cited this reference in my letter to the Canadian Medical Journal, published earlier this year, which challenged their review article that claimed low-fat diets are the solution to, rather than the cause of, high triglycerides.

This condition may not present any symptoms until heart disease develops, so the best way to know if your triglyceride levels are within range is with a blood test. Extremely high triglycerides may result in side effects like pancreatitis, an enlarged liver and spleen, and xanthomas, or fatty deposits in the skin.

If your triglyceride levels are elevated, it likely represents a severe abnormality of insulin balance in your body, and it is very important to lower them since, again, high triglycerides are an incredibly potent risk factor for heart disease.

Fortunately, you are being armed with the information you need to get things under control--triglyceride elevation is one of the most easy and straightforward problems to correct by dramatically reducing, or eliminating, grains and sugars in your diet. This includes bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn, bagels, cereals, crackers and sweets like cookies, candies and fruit juice. You can read more about the role of sugars in elevated triglycerides in this review in the October 2003 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Although this type of dietary change may sound overwhelming to start, you will soon break your addiction to grains and sugar and your desire for them will decrease, along with your triglyceride levels. Plus, you will likely have more energy than you’ve had in years. My book, The No-Grain Diet, can help you on your way to a grain-, sugar-free lifestyle.

Along with the diet there are two other factors that will protect your cardiovascular health: regularly taking a high-quality fish oil that is chock full of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, and getting plenty of exercise.

When choosing your fish oil it is important to find a brand that is independently tested by a lab and found to conform to purity guidelines. This will ensure that the oil is free of mercury and other toxins. One such brand, which I have found to be of superior quality when I compared it to many other brands, is Carlson’s fish and cod liver oil, and I now offer this exceptional fish oil/cod liver oil to you in my "Recommended Products" section. You can also look for it in your local health food store.

Now is the time of year when people living in cooler climates will want to switch from fish oil to cod liver oil. The main difference between cod liver oil and fish oil is that cod liver oil is high in vitamin D. In warm weather months, the more intense sunshine allows your body to produce high and usually sufficient levels of vitamin D without any supplementation necessary. However, in cool weather when intense sun exposure is limited, your body will need more vitamin D, and so I recommend cod liver oil versus fish oil in cool weather months or climates.

I generally recommend that you take cod liver oil from autumn to early spring, and fish oil from late spring through the end of summer. However, those who live in more tropical environments with regular exposure to more intense sun will most likely be fine taking fish oil year round, as your vitamin D intake from the sun will be sufficient. If you aren't sure of what you should take, please have your vitamin D levels tested as it is possible to overdose on vitamin D.

Normal Triglyceride Levels are Too High

Gene Linked to Triglyceride Levels

Fructose Raises Triglyceride Levels

High Triglycerides Risk for Heart Attack

High-Grain Diet May Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular Benefits of Omega-3 Fats