You can use diet and lifestyle changes to lower triglyceride levels. These changes may be especially good at lowering borderline-high levels (150 to 199 mg/dL) back to normal levels (less than 150 mg/dL).

Diet and lifestyle changes include:

• Staying at a healthy weight.
• Limiting fat and sugars.
• Being more active.
• Limiting alcohol.

You may also take medicines to lower triglyceride levels. Medicines may be used if you have risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). In this case, your doctor may first want to lower your LDL ("bad") cholesterol level and raise your HDL ("good") cholesterol level before adding medicine to lower your triglycerides.

For more information on target levels and treatment for high cholesterol, see the topic High Cholesterol.

Use this Interactive Tool: Are You at Risk for a Heart Attack? to calculate your risk of a heart attack based on your cholesterol levels and other factors.

Initial treatment

Diet and lifestyle changes are the first steps you will take to lower triglyceride levels.

Diet and lifestyle changes include:

• Staying at a healthy weight or reducing calories to lose weight.
• Limiting the amount of carbohydrate and unhealthy fat that you eat.
• Being more active.
• Limiting alcohol.
• Not smoking.
• Keeping blood sugar as close to normal as possible if you have diabetes.

Adding fish oils (omega-3 fatty acids) to your diet may lower triglyceride levels. You can add fish oil by eating fish at least 2 times a week or by taking supplements. Oily fish with lots of omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna, and mackerel.

You may want to try Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) and the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet. TLC is a combination of diet and lifestyle changes that can lower your cholesterol. The following information can help you get started with the TLC diet:

• Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet
• Sample menu for the TLC diet
• Tips for success with the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet

To reduce carbohydrate in your diet, you may want to learn about the amount of carbohydrate in various foods.

Alcohol has a particularly strong effect on triglycerides. Regular, excessive use of alcohol or even a one-time drinking binge can cause a significant increase in triglycerides. Binge drinking can cause a spike in your triglycerides that may trigger pancreatitis. Your doctor will want you either to stop or to limit the amount of alcohol you drink.

Before you increase your activity, check with your doctor to be sure it is safe. You may also want to talk with a dietitian to design a nutrition program that is right for you.

Your doctor will also look for anything else that might be causing your high triglycerides, such as hypothyroidism, poorly controlled diabetes, kidney disease, or medicines. Your doctor may adjust or stop any medicines that might raise your triglyceride level.

Ongoing treatment