Why does triglycerides increase

On a mechanistic level, triglycerides will rise too much if [ 18 ]:. Causes listed below are commonly associated with high triglycerides.

Work with your doctor or another health care professional to get an accurate diagnosis. Triglyceride levels increase with a positive energy-intake balance overeating.

In other words, when you eat more than your body needs, the surplus is transformed into fat, including triglycerides. Low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets are among the most common causes of high triglycerides.

Not quite [ 6 ]. Saturated, unhealthy fats are bad. But your body needs healthy fats — such as those found in olive oil and fish oil — to keep your triglyceride levels normal and to maintain your overall health. In truth, high-carbohydrate diets can be much worse than high-fat diets for your triglyceride levels.

Many scientists advocate that high-carb, low-fat diets likely also contributed to the obesity epidemic in America over the past few decades [ 6 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. In a small-scale interventional study, 5 people with high triglyceride levels and 6 people with normal levels were put either on a regular or on a low-fat, high-carb diet.

Directly tied to high-calorie diets and overeating, obesity is often associated with high triglyceride levels. This combination of factors increases chronic inflammation and the risk of heart disease and diabetes [ 22 ].

Obesity often leads to insulin resistance , which is when tissues stop responding to insulin released from the pancreas. The liver tries to compensate by storing more fatty acids from dietary sources and producing more VLDL cholesterol, which further worsens the situation [ 22 ]. Initial studies suggest that obesity might turn on fat-increasing genes. In a meta-analysis of nearly 10k Swedish adults, body fat increased the influence of the triglyceride-increasing gene variants, especially in women.

Similar results were found in a Danish study with over 8. Being physically inactive and leading a predominantly sedentary lifestyle is associated with higher triglyceride levels [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]. The less you exercise, the less food energy you need, and therefore you are more likely to eat more calories than you need. Several studies have found a link between smoking and higher triglyceride levels [ 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Smokers also had slightly higher total cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol [ 28 ].

Heavy drinkers have higher triglyceride levels, and they are also at an increased risk of heart disease, alcoholic fatty liver disease, and pancreas inflammation. Excessive drinking increases triglycerides by forcing the liver to release more VLDL, reducing fat-burning, and increasing fat storage in the liver [ 31 ].

In people with type 2 diabetes tissues stop responding to insulin. As a result, the liver makes large amounts of triglyceride-containing VLDL [ 14 ]. Liver disease such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease NAFLD and cirrhosis liver scarring due to alcohol increase triglyceride levels [ 32 , 33 ]. People with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease produce more and remove less triglycerides, due to a high-fat diet or insulin resistance, faulty fatty acid breakdown, or defective VLDL production [ 7 , 1 , 34 , 35 , 36 ].

People with infections and chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases — such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and psoriasis — often have high triglycerides and low HDL. Along with cholesterol , they are one of the lipids that circulate in your blood. The medical term for having elevated levels of triglycerides is hypertriglyceridemia. High triglyceride levels can increase your risk for heart disease, stroke, and nerve damage. There is a link between chronically elevated triglyceride levels and atherosclerosis , as well as insulin resistance.

There are many causes of high triglyceride levels. The list below includes common causes for people who have type 2 diabetes and related problems:.

Poorly-controlled type 2 diabetes : When your diabetes is not well-managed, you are more likely to have high levels of both glucose blood sugar and insulin in your body. Insulin helps convert glucose into glycogen the stored form of glucose and helps to store glycogen in the liver. When the liver becomes too saturated with glycogen, though, glucose is instead used to create fatty acids that are released into the bloodstream.

These fatty acids are used to make triglycerides, which build up in fat cells and contribute to body fat. Eating more calories than you burn : Triglycerides are used as a quick energy source between meals.

Leftover calories are stored in your body cells as triglycerides. High carbohydrate intake : When you eat foods with carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks the food down and extracts glucose. The glucose is then absorbed through the intestines into the bloodstream.

As described above with poorly controlled diabetes, excess glucose can be used to make triglycerides. Not all carbohydrates are unhealthy foods, however, if you overeat carbohydrates your triglycerides can increase.

Obesity : Being obese or overweight is not a guarantee that you will develop high levels of triglycerides, but there is a correlation between obesity and hypertriglyceridemia. There is a stronger correlation between excess waist circumference and high levels of triglycerides than with body mass index. Insulin resistance : Insulin resistance occurs when your body does not respond to the insulin you make—as a result, sugar cannot enter the cells and instead remains in the bloodstream.

Being resistant to the action of insulin contributes to high levels of both insulin and glucose and can lead to uncontrolled diabetes. Of course, uncontrolled diabetes can lead to high triglycerides, as described above. Renal failure : The risk of chronic renal kidney failure is increased in people with diabetes. In fact, diabetes is one of the most common cause. Renal failure causes problems with the regulation of blood fats and results in high triglyceride levels. The study is being conducted in Bethesda, Maryland.

This study is looking at people who have high blood cholesterol and other fats triglycerides in their blood and at the particles that carry these fats through the bloodstream. Researchers will measure levels of cholesterol and other substances in the blood to find better ways to diagnose and treat patients with diseases involving blood cholesterol.

Participants in this study must have been diagnosed with high blood cholesterol or triglycerides and be at least 2 years old.

View more information about Evaluation of Lipoproteins. This study is looking at the genes of people who have high levels of cholesterol and other lipids triglycerides in the blood to try to find gene changes that lead to these conditions. The study is also open to their family members. A kit for collecting blood or sputum will be mailed to the relative. View more information about Genes Involved in Lipid Disorders. This study is testing the use of a statin in young people to see whether early treatment of high blood cholesterol can affect the risk of developing plaque in blood vessels.

Participants in this study must be age , have a body mass index BMI in the obese range, be fluent in English, and not be pregnant. More Information. Related Health Topics Atherosclerosis. Blockage prevents your organs from functioning normally, contributing to the development of disease. When arteries become blocked, cells, muscles and tissues begin to die due to the lack of oxygen -- a process called necrosis. A painful spasm, or a crushing chest pain, is a sign that the heart's arteries are almost closed.

If a patient doesn't receive medical attention immediately, necrosis will likely result. When brain arteries and blood vessels close, brain necrosis develops as the brain's cells rupture and hemorrhage. Having high triglyceride levels is a primary contributor to the onset of heart attacks and strokes.

High triglycerides also contribute to atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in the artery walls.