Is elevated triglyceride harmful to the human body? At what level do you need to take medicine?

A friend told Huazi that his cholesterol level was normal, but his triglyceride level was high, always around 3mmol/L. Was it dangerous? Should he take medicine? Huazi told him that cholesterol was more harmful among blood lipids and was an important cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Although triglycerides also increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, they are much smaller than cholesterol. However, when triglycerides exceed the standard seriously, it is easy to induce pancreatitis and be life-threatening, so they also need to be controlled.

1. Triglycerides are fats in the blood. Triglycerides are "good things" for humans and are important nutrients for humans. If triglycerides are lost, it will be difficult for humans to survive. Triglycerides, also known as triacylglycerols, are the main components of fat cells. This is a high-density energy storage method. When food is insufficient, the stored triglycerides will be released and converted into energy needed by the human body.

We can understand that solid triglycerides are the fat on our body, including visceral fat and subcutaneous fat. If there are too many triglycerides or fat metabolism is disordered, triglycerides cannot be stored in fat cells and can only remain in the blood, causing hypertriglyceridemia.

2. What are the hazards of high triglycerides? The normal level of triglycerides in the human body should be below 1.7mmol/L; when it exceeds 2.25mmol/L, it is elevated; when it exceeds 5.65mmol/L, it is severely elevated. Triglycerides are closely related to very low-density lipoprotein and increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, the extent of the increased risk has always been controversial.

However, when triglycerides exceed 5.65mmol/L, pancreatitis is likely to occur. Acute and severe pancreatitis has a fatal risk. Therefore, people with elevated triglycerides also need to actively control their levels.

For middle-aged and elderly people at risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, the goal of blood lipid control is to control low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to the standard while controlling triglycerides below 2.25mmol/L.

3. Some vegetarians also have high triglycerides. Triglycerides are closely related to the diet structure. Eating a meal of braised pork may double the triglyceride level in the body. Therefore, the most effective way to control triglycerides is to control diet. However, it should be noted that you should not think that triglycerides will be reduced by not eating fat or oil.

The fat in the human body is a way to store energy, and the energy of the human body does not only come from fat. The starch in the diet will break down into glucose for the human body to use. The unused glucose will be converted into fat (triglycerides) for storage. Therefore, for some vegetarians, as long as they consume too much calories, their triglycerides will also increase.

Dietary control means reducing total calorie intake. In addition to eating less oil, you should also avoid sugar and reduce carbohydrates, and increase the amount of exercise.

4. When is medication needed? Generally speaking, if triglycerides do not exceed 5.65mmol/L, medication is not recommended. However, for people with high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and smoking, there is a greater risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. When triglycerides are higher than 2.25mmol/L, medication is recommended to lower them.

Statins can be used for those with mildly elevated triglycerides. Statins mainly inhibit the production of cholesterol, but they also have a certain effect on reducing triglycerides. Moreover, statins can stabilize and reverse plaques, prevent plaque rupture, and reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction, so the benefits of their use are relatively large.

If triglycerides are higher than 5.65mmol/L, fibrates are needed to effectively reduce triglycerides. If triglycerides and cholesterol are elevated at the same time, statins and fibrates can also be used in combination. Usually, taking fibrates in the morning and statins in the evening can reduce the risk of adverse reactions to combined medication.

In summary, elevated triglycerides increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, but their harm is less than that of cholesterol, and they are mainly used to prevent pancreatitis. Statins and fibrates can lower triglycerides, but the use of the drugs needs to be under the guidance of a doctor. If you have any questions about medication, please consult a doctor or pharmacist. I am pharmacist Huazi. Welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.