New Goal

Just as I was leaving home this morning, I received an unexpected phone call.

It was Dr. Jolly.

I thought the test results wouldn’t be available until next week? And why was she calling me directly?

She started out with the good news.

I am not diabetic. My blood sugar levels are below 100, where they should be. My liver and kidneys are functioning correctly. My thyroid gland is working properly. I am not anemic. And, my cholesterol levels are good.

So what’s the problem?

My triglyceride levels are high.

I know what you’re wondering. What are triglycerides and what does a high triglyceride level mean?

Triglycerides are a type of fat in your blood. What I found out is that when you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn't use right away into triglycerides. When your body needs energy between meals, hormones release the triglycerides. So basically triglycerides are an energy source for your body.

Well, how is that a problem?

When you're not using much energy between meals (not exercising much, for example), your body releases fewer triglycerides, and so they build up. The reason this is bad is because high levels of triglycerides contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls (atherosclerosis) — which increase the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease.

“So what can be done about this?” I asked.

Dr. Jolly explained that changes in lifestyle habits are the main therapy for high triglycerides. I will need to change my ways:

· Cut down on calories, especially simple carbohydrates like potatoes, pasta, and white breads and instead have more complex carbohydrates like grain breads.
· Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 or more days a week.
· Reduce or eliminate alcohol intake. Even small amounts of alcohol can lead to big changes in triglyceride levels.
· Eat a lot of fruits, vegetables and nonfat or low-fat dairy products.
· And finally, Dr. Jolly suggested that I start taking fish oil (ick!) capsules; or, she said I could consume more fish, like lake trout, herring, albacore tuna and salmon – all of which are high in omega-3 fatty acids – and these benefit the heart.

So reducing my triglycerides will be a new goal that I will be working toward for the next few months and then I go back to have my triglyceride levels checked again.