Elevated Triglycerides May Be Due To Carbohydrate Abuse

Alexander Bruni
Author: Alexander Bruni Time for reading: ~7 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022
Elevated Triglycerides May Be Due To Carbohydrate Abuse

What should be our diet for high triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood, explains Assoc. Prof. Darina Naidenova.

 
 

- what diseases lead to high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides?

 
High cholesterol and triglycerides are disorders of lipid metabolism, so-called dyslipidemias. They are a factor in the development of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases.
 

- Can cholesterol and triglycerides be affected by food?

 
In most (but not all) cases, we can influence them by changing our eating patterns and physical activity patterns. In familial hypercholesterolemia, the heredity is very strong and a special result is not achieved only by changing the diet. But these cases are rarer in practice. In most people, cholesterol and triglyceride levels depend on diet and physical activity.
 

- What is the typical profile of patients who have high cholesterol and triglycerides?

 
These are people who are more often overweight. In itself, the normalization of body weight has a beneficial effect on the lipid profile. These patients usually prefer to consume refined products - technologically processed, instead of reaching for fresh, raw, unprocessed food - such as salads, fruits and nuts. They prefer fatty foods, sausages, meat and eat less fish and legumes. They are not lovers of wholemeal bread, but love confectionery and drink alcohol, ie. abuse sweets, pasta and alcohol. 
 
A number of studies have unequivocally shown that the abuse of saturated fats and trans fats increases the risk of dyslipidemia. Saturated fats have a firm consistency at room temperature and we mainly import them into our body with animal products - meat, sausages, whole milk products (cream, butter, cheese and yellow cheese) and so recently used palm oil, which we can now find in almost every industrially produced sweet or pasta food. Palm oil is very atherogenic and raises the so-called "bad" cholesterol (LDL - cholesterol).
 
Trans fats are obtained by processing vegetable oils in order to harden them and obtain margarine. Trans fats are also widely used in the food industry and have an extremely adverse effect on serum lipids. On the one hand, they cause an increase in "bad" cholesterol (LDL), which increases the risk of atherosclerosis, and on the other hand, lower the levels of so-called "good" cholesterol (HDL), which protects against arterial damage. Thus, trans fats have a double adverse effect on the health of our blood vessels and our heart. 
 

- What are the main guidelines for proper nutrition?

 
Dietary nutrition in hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia is aimed at changing risk habits. First, change the choice of fat. It is desirable to avoid saturated fats and trans fats or at least to be kept to a minimum. This will be done by reducing the portion of fatty meat and by limiting and even excluding from our menu sausages that contain significant amounts of animal fat, as well as ready-made confectionery and pasta that contains margarine. It is also good to be careful with butter, cream and full-fat cheese and cheese.
 

- What fats to use?

 
It is best to add olive oil to salads and dishes that do not undergo heat treatment. Olive oil contains a monounsaturated fatty acid called oleic acid. It has the potential to reduce bad cholesterol and has a uniquely good effect on the lipid profile. Therefore, people with cholesterol and lipid problems should use olive oil more often to flavor their salads, rather than mayonnaise or milk sauce.
 
It is also very important to use foods rich in unsaturated fatty acids. It would be good to prefer oils that are liquid at room temperature - olive oil, unrefined oil (charlan), linseed oil, walnut oil and other vegetable oils. 
 
 
 
Abuse of simple carbohydrates - sweets, pasta and fizzy drinks - can also lead to increased levels of bad cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides. Many people have an isolated increase in triglycerides alone and the reason is often the abuse of carbohydrate foods - especially pastries and pasta. Therefore, it is good to limit these foods. Other, more natural carbohydrate foods, such as whole grain breads, legumes, nuts, fresh fruits, and vegetables, could be used instead, as they have the potential to lower total cholesterol levels. 
 
In case of a problem with cholesterol and triglycerides, fiber (also called plant fibers or fiber) should be consumed regularly and in sufficient quantities. The most important for the regulation of serum lipids are pectin and beta-glucans. We get pectin from all fruits, and beta-glucans are found in oatmeal. With regular consumption, these fibers can help reduce total and bad cholesterol. 
 

- Do you recommend drinking a teaspoon of pectin concentrate?

 
Pectin can also be taken in the form of a food supplement, but it is always better to take it in the form of a whole fruit, because this is how we introduce some important vitamins for the health of the cardiovascular system.
 

- How does alcohol affect this health problem?

 
Studies show that a small amount of alcohol - in the range of one to three drinks a day - has the potential to increase good cholesterol (HDL). One drink means 25-30 ml of concentrate or a glass of wine or a small beer. If the amount of alcohol is high, it will not lead to a greater increase in good cholesterol, but to an increase in triglyceride levels and bad cholesterol. People who systematically abuse alcohol do not die from cardiovascular disease, but from liver disease. From this point of view, I do not recommend alcohol for the prevention of dyslipidemia. The small dose may be good for us, but the big dose is already harmful. 
 

- Is fish useful for these patients?

 
I highly recommend eating fish for triglyceride problems, as it has been shown that omega-3 fatty acids, which are rich in fish, can significantly reduce triglycerides. But if we have high levels of bad cholesterol, we must use omega-3 fatty acids carefully. If we get them only by eating fish, there are no special risks.
 
However, at high levels of LDL cholesterol, omega-3 supplements should be used very carefully. If we have high levels of triglycerides only, omega-3 supplements can be used to lower them. To reduce bad cholesterol, a dietary supplement with lyceum can also help. Lycetin is also contained in many foods, which, unfortunately, Bulgarians consume less and less - legumes, oats.
 
These foods should be included regularly in hypercholesterolemia. In general, legumes, nuts, mushrooms, vegetables, unrefined edible oils (cold pressed olive oil, charlan, etc.) are very useful in this health problem, as they are all a source of phytosterols. We can consider phytosterols as a plant analogue of cholesterol in animal foods.
 
When a meal rich in cholesterol (for example, pork neck steak) is eaten at one meal, and at the same time a food rich in phytosterols (for example, bean salad, stewed mushrooms or cabbage salad) is eaten, then the absorption of cholesterol from the steak will be in to a lesser extent. Because phytosterols and cholesterol fight for the same receptors when they are absorbed in the intestines. Concomitant intake of phytosterols and cholesterol suppresses the absorption of cholesterol.
 
That is why we can occasionally indulge in a favorite animal food (albeit fattier and richer in cholesterol), but combine it with legumes or mushrooms, or a few nuts, or a vegetable salad. These foods should be regularly present in the diet of a person with high cholesterol and triglycerides. 
 

- What should be our physical activity when we have problems with cholesterol and triglycerides?

 
With low physical activity, these indicators are more difficult to control. Regular exercise (not necessarily sports) can improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This is moderate physical activity. In an adult, it should be at least one hour a day, and the degree of load depends on training.
 
If a person is very immobile, optimal and safe physical activity for him would be a one-hour walk at a pace that he can maintain. The pace is normal if it does not suffocate him and does not cause his heart to beat. You can walk twice a day for half an hour. But if the person is accustomed to higher physical activity, he will be able to load himself without risk and with more intense training or physical work.
 
Prevention in adults is one hour a day movement. In children, the movement should be much more. 
 
 
 

 

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