Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group high triglycerides! causes? cures?

my triglycerides were 375!!!!
i've looked at my diet, and i don't think that's the problem.
i'm a little overweight (130, whereas my best weight was around 105...thin bones), but actually 5 lbs lighter than 2 years ago when my triglycerides were 213, still high, but nothing like this.
but i didn't exercise for a month before the test because i inflamed my hamstring tendons really badly in the beginning of june and had to rest them.

can lack of exercise for a month make the triglycerides go up that much?

what else could be causing the problem that i'm not aware of?
(including in my diet....i don't think diet is the issue, but am i missing something)?

i know diabetes can show up with high triglycerides, but i thought that was only if the diabetes was uncontrolled. my fasting blood glucose was 104, prediabetic, but not diabetic, though type II diabetes does run on both sides of my family.

we did have a cookout 2 days prior to the test and i ate more than normal. not worse than normal, just more than normal. could this have affected the triglycerides that much? did all of that eating put my blood sugar at an elevated level and affect my triglycerides?

of course, these are the questions i will be asking the doctor next week.

just thought it would be good to hear from someone with experience.

regardless, scared the BLANK out of me and i'm walking every day now.

i see drugs in my near future.....
heart disease runs in my family with the major symptom being early death.

so, if there is anyone with advice on statins and/or drugs to lower triglycerides, i'd love the input...some of the info out there seems rather contradictory....especially the drugs for triglycerides.

just when we learn to manage one thing....along comes another to make life always interesting

my GP wasn't overly concerned 2 years ago with my numbers of 245 cholesterol, 155 LDL, 47 HDL, 213 triglycerides. now the numbers are 250 total cholesterol, 133 LDL, 42 HDL, 375 triglycerides. the only number that has really changed is the triglycerides. i don't know if he will be concerned now, but i am, and will make sure we take care of the situation.

my grandmother had a stroke in her early 50s, followed by quadruple bypass surgery around age 60, and died from it all when she was 67. hopefully i'm catching this early enough so that i don't follow in my family's footsteps...i'm only 45.

sue

Hi sue,
I have a problem with high triglycerides too, with borderline high cholesterol. One thing I remember about the tests is that dairy can make the triglycerides skyrocket up. So don't have any dairy within 48 hours of the test. I made some posts here about my triglycerides but I need to search for them in order to tell you more about it. The pill I took for it was called Tricor, and it worked without any problems/complications that I can remember. I haven't taken anything else for triglycerides since.... which reminds me, I should go get that checked soon. I try to keep a low intake on dairy, and barely no intake on any fats. (meat very lean and trimmed, no skin on poultry and fish, no frying etc).

hope this helps.
take care,
James

Hi Again,
Lack of exercise can do it too, but that's over longer periods of time I think. You know like... becoming inactive (like 6 months or more), picking up a few new pounds here and there, etc. That's when and one of the reasons why I got my cholesterol checked. Plus I wasn't feeling very good then.

Take care,
James.

Mine are very high also. Blamed on the steroids. Are you taking any prednisone right now? I watch my sweets like crazy but was also just diagnosed with diabetes. Likewise, from the Prednisone. That is one nasty drug (that has saved my life in the past). What a love/hate relationship.

Hope you get some answers and will share them.

Hugs and Blessings.
Possi

Hi, sue:

I'm dealing with borderline metabolic syndrome, too.

The problem may be with diet and first too little omega3 or improper ratios. Next is the bad carbohydrates that cause increased increased triglycerides.

If I were not on NSD, my numbers would be much higher (123), also. I don't get any aerobic exercise, but that must change soon, since I have healed quite enough since my operation. My fasting glucose is 101 and total cholesterols 251, but my ESR was 9! I am an 'indicator' and it has been over 100 when my AS was active.

You should have asked for CRP and ESR tests; these can be equally important as heart issue indicators as triglyceride/cholesterol levels.

Addendum: Important point about FASTING numbers--at least 8 but better 12 hours fasting numbers should be lower. Since you had glucose levels measured, you were probably fasting...

Good luck,
John

Hey Sue, here's a link to an article about Triglycerides:

WebMD

You really are in an ... um ... interesting position. The main treatments when it comes to high triglycerides seem to be diet and exercise. From what you say, you have several high risk factors between the history of heart disease and the history of diabetes alone. You really need to bring down the LDL numbers, as well as raising the HDL numbers. Here's an article:

MedincineNEt Article

Medications aside, the optimal treatment for high cholesterol is pretty much the same as the one for - diet and exercise.

My mother was told she had high cholesterol some years ago, but everyone was confused because she already had a low fat, high activity lifestyle. They told her it was genetic in that case and she would be on meds for it for the rest of her life. "Screw that," said my mum (she really did) and she went to a naturopath who put her on a truly restrictive cleansing type diet for the first month. It was hell for her, but eventually she was able to start reintroducing foods. The upshot is that her LDL got much lower, her HDL got higher and she is not on meds.

You can beat this, Sue. I know you can!

Warm hugs,

sue, aloha

since one cholesterol is good and one is bad i believe it's a mistake to add the numbers together.

bad cholesterol comes from meat and things that eat other animals and fats solid at
room temp...BUTTER !!!!, cream, well marbled beef, hamburgers, shark, tuna, salmon etc...this is why those skinless (and tasteless) chicken breasts are so popular

one bad weekend shouldn't tilt the whole system...i'd say first thing your doctor will do is run the test again to confirm the numbers...the newer standards regard even ldl of 120
as being ungood and needing treatment.

if your not using olive oil....???? olive oil is a good fat and has NO cholestrol...and
you can find a lot of olive oils even mild, non peppery ones.

vit B3 niacin is useful for cholesterol reduction and those statins will be poured
down your throat if you don't get the bad # down...the med world is gaga about this
stuff...even if it's associated with some cancers and als. 375 will get your dr upset.
good luck

This article backs up what DragonSlayer was saying:

http://www.westonaprice.org/askdoctor/highcholesterol.html

Lots more interesting articles on cholesterol:

http://westonaprice.org/search-results.h...rides&sa=Search

hi james,

i'll look for your old posts too.

good to hear that you didn't have any side effects from the Tricor.
i've been reading scary stuff about the fibrates, so its good to know that not everyone has these side effects.

dairy? i don't eat much dairy because it irritates my gastritis (i eat Total in the AM for my calcium and take a vitamin D pill for my vit D). but i did eat a few slices of fresh mozzarella (with tomatoes, basil, EVOO, and balsamic) and had a small bowl of ice cream (which i like never have) with my blueberry crisp on Saturday...but one day?

i don't eat much red meat, never eat the skin on the chicken, 1 oz of lowfat cheese a day, most of my fat comes from EVOO, but maybe (for me and my genetic makeup), its still too much fat total and too much animal fat....

thanks,

sue

hi possi,

never been on steroids, but i did read about that relationship.
haven't had a cortisone shot in 1-2 years, so can't even say that's pulsing through my veins.

i'll keep you posted, as requested.

thanks a bunch,
sue