Skip to main content
Logo for WebMD
Logo for WebMD
  • Coronavirus Update
  • Check Your Symptoms
  • Find A Doctor
  • Find A Dentist
  • Connect to Care
  • Find Lowest Drug Prices
  • Health
    A-Z
    Health A-Z
    Health A-Z
    Common Conditions
    • ADD/ADHD
    • Allergies
    • Arthritis
    • Cancer
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Eye Health
    • Heart Disease
    • Lung Disease
    • Orthopedics
    • Pain Management
    • Sexual Conditions
    • Skin Problems
    • Sleep Disorders
    • View All
    Resources
    • Symptom Checker
    • WebMD Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Newsletters
    • Questions & Answers
    • Insurance Guide
    • Find a Doctor
    • Children's Conditions A-Z
    • Surgeries and Procedures A-Z
    • Featured Topics
    • woman experiencing chest discomfort Symptom Checker COVID-19: Check Your Symptoms Now
    • photo of migraine Slideshow Get Help for Migraine Relief
  • Drugs &
    Supplements
    Drugs & Supplements
    Drugs & Supplements
    Find & Review
    • Drugs
    • Supplements
    Drug Basics & Safety
    • Commonly Abused Drugs
    • Taking Meds When Pregnant
    Tools
    • Manage Your Medications
    • Pill Identifier
    • Check for Interactions
    • Drug Comparison Tool
    • Featured Topics
    • assorted vitamins Slideshow Vitamins You Need as You Age
    • photo of vaccine Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Living
    Healthy
    Living Healthy
    Living Healthy
    Diet, Food & Fitness
    • Diet & Weight Management
    • Weight Loss & Obesity
    • Food & Recipes
    • Fitness & Exercise
    Beauty & Balance
    • Healthy Beauty
    • Health & Balance
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Oral Care
    Living Well
    • Women's Health
    • Men's Health
    • Aging Well
    • Healthy Sleep
    • Healthy Teens
    • Featured Topics
    • grocery cart Article Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes
    • walking sneakers Quiz Do You Know the Benefits of Walking?
  • Family &
    Pregnancy
    Family & Pregnancy
    Family & Pregnancy
    All About Pregnancy
    • Getting Pregnant
    • First Trimester
    • Second Trimester
    • Third Trimester
    • View All
    Parenting Guide
    • Newborn & Baby
    • Children's Health
    • Children's Vaccines
    • Raising Fit Kids
    • View All
    Pet Care Essentials
    • Healthy Cats
    • Healthy Dogs
    • View All
    • Featured Topics
    • apple slices and peanut butter Slideshow Smart Snacks When You're Pregnant
    • photo of dogs kissing Slideshow Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats
  • News &
    Experts
    News & Experts
    News & Experts
    Health News
    • Coronavirus News
    • COVID-19 Vaccines -- Latest Updates
    • Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts
    • COVID-19 Symptoms
    • Coronavirus Variants
    Experts & Community
    • WebMD Blogs
    • News Center
    • Featured Topics
    • photo of coronavirus cell WebMD News Get the Latest COVID-19 News Here
    • photo of person typing Get Our Newsletters Health News and Information, Delivered to Your Inbox
  • Mobile Apps
  • Subscriptions
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
  • My Profile
    • My Tools
    • My WebMD Pages
    • My Account
    • Sign Out

    Triglycerides Home

    • Medical Reference
    • Features
    • Video
    • Slideshows & Images
    • Health Tools
    • Expert Commentary
    • News Archive

    Cholesterol & Triglycerides Home

    • News
    • Reference
    • Slideshows
    • Quizzes
    • Questions & Answers
    • Find a Doctor
    • WebMDRx Savings Card

    Cholesterol Management Guide

    • Overview
    • Types & Complications
    • Diagnosis & Tests
    • Treating & Managing

    Related to Cholesterol & Triglycerides

    • Atherosclerosis
    • Diabetes
    • Diet & Nutrition
    • Heart Disease
    • High Blood Pressure
    • High Triglycerides
    • Living Healthy
    • Metabolic Syndrome
    • My Medicine
    • Stroke
    • Cholesterol & Triglycerides
    • Videos

    What are Triglycerides?

    Video Transcript

    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.

    Related Videos

    Editor's Picks

    • woman with cup of coffee

      Video

      The Truth About Coffee
    • tongue scraper and tongue

      Video

      5 Ways to Beat Bad Breath
    • couple having sex in bed

      Video

      Why Orgasms Feel Good

    Latest Videos

    Top Picks

    • Alternative Treatments for High Cholesterol
    • Enjoying Indulgences With Diabetes
    • Cholesterol Warning for Women
    • Cholesterol: How Much Do You Know?
    • Good Low-Cholesterol Food Choices
    • Diabetes? Get Tips to Avoid Health Problems

    further reading

    • Beyond Cholesterol: 14 Ways to Lower Triglycerides
    • Cholesterol 101 -- What Your Levels Mean
    • Assessment: Taking Care of Your Triglycerides
    • Is High Cholesterol Putting Your Health at Risk?
    • What Cholesterol Means for Your Heart
    • Tips to Manage Cholesterol and High Triglycerides
    • How to Lower Your Triglycerides
    • Triglycerides Topics

    Today on WebMD

    shopping for supplements

    Supplements for Cholesterol

    Can they help lower yours?

    bowl of yogurt with heart shape

    DASH Diet

    What it can do for you.

    Recommended for You

    Heart Foods Slideshow Slideshow

    24 Foods That Can Save Your Heart

    Cholesterol Fact or Fiction Quiz

    Cholesterol Fact or Fiction

    Food & Fitness Planner TOOL

    Track the Cholesterol in Your Diet

    Attractive salad ARTICLE

    How to Make Salads More Interesting

    Heart Disease Overview Slideshow SLIDESHOW

    Heart Disease: Symptoms and Treatments

    worst sandwich slideshow SLIDESHOW

    Worst Sandwiches: Double-Fisted Diet Wreckers

    Fat Foods Fit Foods SLIDESHOW

    Fat Foods, Fit Foods

    woman drinking coffee SLIDESHOW

    Foods Surprisingly Bad for Cholesterol

    Tools & Resources

    • Is Your Job Wrecking Your Heart?
    • Cholesterol Basics
    • 13 Salty Foods to Avoid
    • Tips for Avoiding Heart Disease
    • What's Your Cholesterol IQ?
    • Q&A: Cholesterol Medications

    Health Solutions

    • Penis Curved When Erect
    • Could I have CAD?
    • Treat Bent Fingers
    • Discover hATTR Symptoms
    • Tired of Dandruff?
    • Treat HR+, HER2- MBC
    • Rethink MS Treatment
    • AFib-Related Strokes
    • Risk of a Future DVT/PE
    • Is My Penis Normal?
    • Relapsing MS Options
    • Enlarged Prostate Facts
    • Finance Plastic Surgery
    • Bent Finger Causes
    • Living With Psoriasis?
    • Benefits of CBD

    More from WebMD

    • 5 Tips to Help With Relapsing MS
    • How to Thrive With Narcolepsy
    • Relief for Blocked Hair Follicles
    • Psoriatic Arthritis and Your Sleep
    • What Psoriasis Feels Like
    • First Psoriatic Arthritis Flare
    • Talking to Your Doctor About RA
    • Crohn's: A 'Full-Body' Disease
    • Avoiding Crohn’s Flares
    • Living With Ankylosing Spondylitis
    • Live Better With Psoriatic Disease
    • Types of B-Cell Therapy for MS
    • Living Better With T2 Diabetes
    • Why Prostate Cancer Spreads
    • Getting the Care You Need for MS
    • Where Breast Cancer Spreads
    • Logo for WebMD
      • Visit WebMD on Facebook
      • Visit WebMD on Twitter
      • Visit WebMD on Pinterest
    • Policies

      • Privacy Policy
      • Cookie Policy
      • Editorial Policy
      • Advertising Policy
      • Correction Policy
      • Terms of Use

      About

      • Contact Us
      • About WebMD
      • Careers
      • Newsletter
      • Corporate
      • WebMD Health Services
      • Site Map
      • Accessibility
    • WebMD Network

      • Medscape
      • Medscape Reference
      • MedicineNet
      • eMedicineHealth
      • RxList
      • OnHealth
      • WebMDRx
      • First Aid
      • WebMD Magazine
      • WebMD Health Record
      • Dictionary
      • Physician Directory
    • Our Apps

      • WebMD Mobile
      • WebMD App
      • Pregnancy
      • Baby
      • Allergy
      • Medscape

      For Advertisers

      • Advertise with Us
      • Advertising Policy

    © 2005 - 2019 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved.

    WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

    See additional information.