What Causes High Triglycerides?

You may have heard people talking triglycerides, or your doctor may have even said that you have borderline or high triglycerides at your last appointment – but what causes high triglycerides? You should always consult your doctor for more detailed answers specific to you, of course, but we've got some general causes of high triglycerides here:

Habits and conditions

Obesity, overeating (taking in more calories than you expend), and excessive alcohol consumption can all cause high triglycerides. You can change your diet, exercise, and your drinking habits to control triglyceride levels, but other conditions may take more medical expertise. Undiagnosed, or mismanaged diabetes can cause high triglycerides, as well as hypothyroidism, and kidney disease.

Certain medications

What causes high triglycerides besides the above conditions? Some surprisingly common medications like estrogen, diuretics, steroids, beta-blockers, the Pill, and tamoxifen can all cause high triglycerides. If you suspect these are the causes of your high triglycerides you should talk with your doctor about possible alternatives.

Hereditary

Occasionally, high triglycerides can run in the family. This is sometimes accompanied by fatty deposits under the skin called xanthomas. As unfortunate as this may be, it can be worth speaking to your doctor about this to see if there is anything that can be done outside of the usual lifestyle changes.

What you can do to mitigate causes of high triglycerides

If you haven't already, then you should quit smoking, limit drinking, and examine the amount of fat and sugar in your diet. If you need to lose weight, make it a point to do so. Although some causes of high triglycerides require medication to control, your doctor will probably ask you to try these tried and true methods of lowering triglycerides as well. And your body will thank you no matter what.