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Help! my triglicerides are high

Drunken_Ninja

Turbo Monkey
Aug 25, 2002
1,094
1
Hangin' with Riggs and Mertah
uh oh i did it now. my cholesterol is high and apparently high triglycerides are a causation of heart disease. What the hell am i supposed to eat? I am trying to avoid taking the pill to lower them.
 
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Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,555
Niacin is for raising your HDL (good cholesterol).

Fish and/or Fish oil capsules (Omega-3)have a bigger impact in reducing your triglycerides.
i like omega-3s, too (who would have thought they reduce your risk for RCC?) but please show me the RCT that shows an effect on TG levels. niacin does reduce TGs as well as lowering LDL and raising HDL, and it is well studied.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=niacin+triglycerides
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,555
Is it my imagination, or does niacin appear to be really effective...especially compared to all the rx drugs for treating the same condition when you consider the cost?
i am so down with niacin. if you can stand the flushing -- it's a tingly, hot sensation for an hour or so after you take it, and can be mitigated with an NSAID -- then it's a good drug. best yet it's available for pennies per pill from any pharmacy, over the counter. i actually took it for a while in an effort to reduce my LDL from a very good 70something to a tribesman-running-on-the-sahara-with-heart-attacks-unheard-of level of 40something.
 

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
Why isn't it widely prescribed? It seems to be effective, cheap, and with minimal side effects. Is there some gotcha, or is it just that no one has a patent on it?
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,555
Why isn't it widely prescribed? It seems to be effective, cheap, and with minimal side effects. Is there some gotcha, or is it just that no one has a patent on it?
it's the flushing. personally i'd rather have consistent flushing than a small but non-zero risk of myositis (muscle inflammation) or liver dysfunction with a statin. that said, some statins are much more powerful than niacin, but when i was working in an internal medicine clinic i'd suggest niacin (plus a baby aspirin an hour before to quell the flushing) as a first line for just about everyone.

So Toshi how high to do you rate high tryglcerides on the scale of things that can wrong with your ticker?
LDL is much more of a risk factor. super, super high triglycerides can give you nasty things like pancreatitis, but that's when they're more like 1000.
 

dejacky

Chimp
Jul 2, 2006
41
0
Isn't fresh garlic and supplements like fish oil and Co-Enzyme Q10 good for this? Also, I think fresh blueberries do a lot for the cardio-system if I'm not mistaken.