Try to lower triglycerides

Before the pandemic, more than 4 million Americans participated in triathlons. These days, its around 3 million. Lowering your tris shouldn’t take an international health crisis ... just a well-thoughtout three-part plan.

So, what are triglycerides? They’re a lipid (fat) that’s produced from calories you eat, especially overprocessed carbs, alcohol and sugar. Triglycerides show up in your bloodstream because your liver (which produces another waxy lipid called cholesterol) combines cholesterol with triglycerides and proteins to make lipoproteins. This is how the fatty mixture travels throughout your body, helping your body make hormones, cell membranes and vitamin

D. However, elevated levels are associated with metabolic syndrome (a combo of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity), which leads to heart attack, stroke and peripheral artery disease. They also increase your risk for pancreatitis.

A normal triglyceride level is less than 150 mg/dL. But remember normal is not ideal; based on the data, we think the ideal level for keeping your risks of disability and death down is less than 50.

If a blood test indicates your triglyceride levels are elevated, there’s a lot you can do to dial them down.

— Lose 5% to 10% of your body weight.

— Eliminate all sugary beverages, alcohol, syrups and stripped carbs. One study found that six months on a low-carb diet reduced blood lipids more significantly than a low-fat diet.

— People with diabetes, heart disease, or other lipidrelated risk factors might consider triglyceride-lowering supplements including omega-3-DHA and EPA oil, fenugreek, vitamin D2/3 and curcumin.

Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook. com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb. com, the world’s leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively.