We gladly talk about his cholesterol, but who talks about his triglycerides? However, “their excess is even more harmful”, insists Dr. Jean-Michel Lecerf, specialist in metabolic diseases. This second category of lipids body also contributes to cardiovascular risk. And when cholesterol starts to climb, it’s rare that triglycerides don’t follow the same path, the two threats reinforcing to increase the risk of having a premature heart attack. We then speak of hyperlipidemia, which concerns more than a quarter of adults. An excess of triglycerides (rate greater than 1.7 mmol/l or 1.50 g/l) most often comes from an abuse of alcohol and sugars that the liver converts into fat.
All studies show that it is more effective to act on all lipid abnormalities at the same time: increase in bad cholesterol (LDL), decrease in good cholesterol (HDL) and increase in triglycerides. The 4S study (Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study), for example, proved that when the three parameters are bad, the risk of recurrence after a heart attack increases by 52%, while it is only increased by 14% if only the bad LDL cholesterol is high.
To lower triglycerides and increase good cholesterol, the solution is the same: lose a little weight and practice regular physical exercise.