Hypertriglyceridemia remedied by lifestyle change

Hypertriglyceridemia is common among US adults and should be treated with lifestyle change in most cases, according to the results of a study reported in the March 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"Increasing evidence supports triglyceride (TG) concentration as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease," write Earl S. Ford, MD, MPH, from the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, and colleagues. "The prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia during a period of rising prevalence of obesity and its pharmacological treatment among US adults are poorly understood."

In an accompanying commentary, Warren G. Thompson, MD, and Gerald T. Gau, MD, from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, agree that lifestyle modification is the cornerstone of management of TG concentrations between 150 and 500 mg/dL. They note that if the patient does not make lifestyle changes in diet and exercise, it is difficult to normalize TG concentration with medication alone.

Bonnie - they are just realizing this now? Triglcyerides are as important to cardiac health as cholesterol. I have consistently brought down triglycerides in my clients for years with diet and lifestyle change. Fish oil and limiting grain/refined carbohydrate consumption has the most dramatic effect.