Do high levels of triglycerides increase the risk of heart failure?

Do high levels of triglycerides increase the risk of heart failure?

Triglycerides is an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acids. Triglycerides are the main constituents of the body fat in humans and other vertebrates, as well as from vegetable fat. They are also present in the blood in the type of the fat (lipids) found in the blood. When we eat our body converts calories which it doesn’t need to use right awayinto triglycerides for energy between meals. If you regularly eat more calories than you burn, particularly from high carbohydrates food, you may have high triglycerides. What's considered normal?

• A simple blood test can reveal whether your triglycerides fall into a healthy range:
• Normal — Less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or less than 1.7 millimoles per liter (mmol/L)
• Borderline high — 150 to 199 mg/dL (1.8 to 2.2 mmol/L)
• High — 200 to 499 mg/dL (2.3 to 5.6 mmol)
• Very high — 500 mg/dL or above (5.7 mmol/L or above)

Presence of high triglycerides may contribute to the hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls which increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease. The American heart association sets the normal threshold for triglycerides at 150 milligrams per deciliter of blood. Some people have genetic disorder that causes their levels to climb above 1000, which puts them at risk for complications like pancreatitis, “ but they don’t seem at the risk for heart disease, “ Dr. Underberg said. 

Triglycerides can also rise as side effects of certain medications, as well as from obesity and increased alcohol consumption. 

Many people with Type 2 diabetes are at a risk of having a syndrome called diabetic dyslipidemia characterized by high triglycerides and a low concentration of protective HDL cholesterol. Levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, may be normal in these people, but often they have a plethora of small, dense LDL particles that contribute to inflammation and raise heart diseases risk. 

While some studies cite high triglycerides as an independent risk factor for heart disease, others suggest it is hard to separate the impact of triglycerides from other factors. In alarge analysis of studies published in Circulation in 2007, for example, researchers found a strong association between high triglycerides and coronary heart disease. But takinginto account factors like HDL levels weakened the association between triglycerides and cardiovascular risk.

“What I tell my patients is that triglycerides themselves probably don’t cause heart disease,” Dr. Underberg said. “But for many people they can be a marker of increased risk — a warning sign that you need to look for things like small, dense LDL particles, low HDL, hypertension and diabetes.”