31% of the adult United States population has triglyceride levels that are equal to or above 150 mg/dL. In other words, about 1 in every three people has unhealthy triglyceride levels.
The primary causes of this phenomenon seem to be diets that are high in carbs, trans fat, alcohol, and/or saturated fat. In other words, improving your triglyceride levels is simple.
From a dietary perspective, all you have to do is two things to lower your triglycerides:
- consume fewer carbs (ideally less than 35 grams a day), alcohol, and trans fat.
- eat more marine-derived omega 3s and monounsaturated fats.
To enhance your results, you can also:
- Restrict calories to lose weight (only do this if you are overweight or obese)
- Implement a sleep schedule and improve sleep quality
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day
- Supplement with marine-derived omega 3s, curcumin, niacin, and/or garlic extract
- Eat more MCTs from coconut oil or an MCT oil supplement
For more info on the research behind these suggestions and how to know if they work for you, check out our article on triglycerides.