DAVE MONTGOMERY, MD:
Triglycerides are the fats that
swim around in our body.
We use those fats
in normal amounts for fuel,
for energy.
We also use them to make
hormones and to build cells.
Triglycerides are
different from cholesterol,
although we look at them
in a similar way.
Cholesterol, bad cholesterol,
is the cholesterol that actually
causes plaque to form
in vessels.
It can cause heart disease,
it can cause a heart attack,
and it can cause a stroke.
And while triglycerides aren't
cholesterol, we've now learned
that high levels of triglyceride
can still lead to heart disease.
The primary food that we can eat
to lower triglycerides
is fish, particularly
fatty fish-- salmon, tuna,
trout, mackerel.
These are all fish that we can
eat to lower
our triglyceride level.
There are things that will
increase
our triglyceride levels.
If you eat a high carbohydrate
diet, if you excessively consume
alcohol, these are two
of the primary ways that we can
increase our triglycerides.
