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Jeff Novick, MS, RD, LV/N
Director of Nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa
Acclaimed author, researcher, nutritionist, and teacher for over two decades, Jeff Novick offers expert advice distilled into powerful, lay-friendly language on a multitude of hot health topics, including the Facts on Fats, Adolescent Obesity, Trans Fats, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Women’s Health, Chef Jeff’s Cooking Tips, and more.
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Not sure what triglercides are? You’re not alone. A survey conducted last fall by the National Lipid Association involving nearly 2,100 men and women found that 87% were clueless about triglycerides and completely unaware that high levels of triglycerides, like high levels of cholesterol, increased the risk of heart disease. So here’s a little refresher:
Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood. High levels can be caused by a variety of factors, including a genetic tendency, but for many people the key culprit is taking in excess calories, which leads to weight gain and obesity. Like the National Cholesterol Education Program, the Pritikin Program recommends that triglyceride levels remain below 150 mg/dL.
Changes in lifestyle habits can dramatically lower triglycerides. Research on more than 4,500 people attending the Pritikin Longevity Center found an average 33% reduction in triglyceride levels, and in just three weeks.*
Factors especially effective in reducing triglycerides include:
- Exercising regularly
- Increasing your intake of fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans
- Reducing the fat in your diet
- Reducing your intake of sugar and other refined carbohydrates
- Eating seafood regularly – at least twice weekly
- Limiting alcohol
- Losing excess weight
* Archives of Internal Medicine, 1991; 151: 1,389.
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