When you eat a carbohydrate, your body breaks it down into simple sugars known as glucose, which is an instant energy source for your cells. The glucose in your blood stream triggers an insulin response, and your cells open up to take in energy. When your cells have absorbed all the glucose that they need, the excess is converted to glycogen via the liver. Glycogen gets stored in your muscles ready for the next time you exert yourself physically. The more muscle you have, the more glycogen you can store, this is why bodybuilders can consume massive amounts of carbs.

Once your muscles have had their fill of glycogen, the excess is sent back through the liver to be converted into triglycerides to be stored as fat. And as is evident from the high obesity rates in North America, the body can always find a place for more fat.

Note: Not all fat is created equal…

Some triglycerides, like those resulting from the breakdown of trans and saturated fats, are not stored as fat, but remain in your blood stream. This is where the problem with triglycerides lies. All this excess material floating around in your blood will cause it to thicken and become sludgy, which increases the chances of blockage or clots forming. The result of which can be a heart attack of stroke.

So what can I do to reduce my triglyceride levels?
The common misconception, and the one that has been propagated by the media, is that since triglycerides are essentially fat, then fat should just be avoided in the diet… right? WRONG!
Your body needs fat to maintain optimal functioning as there are many processes that NEED fat to take place, vitamin absorption, joint lubrication, and building cell membranes and hormones for example.

That being said, you should however avoid the bad kinds of fat – transfats and hydrogenated oils found in margarine, processed and refined foods and fast food. These transfats are chemically altered substances, and as such your body does not know how to handle them properly. They are foreign to the body and therefore dangerous to your health.

The real answer: CUT THE CARBS!!! (And get some fish oil).

Fact: Your body does not need carbohydrates to function. Carbs are not used as a structural component in the body like protein and fat; they are only used as a form of fuel. Moreover, humans can, and have existed quite easily without ever eating carbohydrates, and excess glucose in the blood stream is actually toxic to humans unless being burned immediately as a fuel. Since out hunter/gatherer anscestors did not have access to as many carbohydrates as we do today, (and because the Twinkie hadn’t been invented yet) our bodies developed several mechanisms for generating glucose from consumed sources of fat and protein.

Study after study is being released in support of a lowered carbohydrate diet, and proving the link between carbs and triglycerides. According to a publication by P.K. Reissell’s group at Harvard in 1966, it was clearly established that Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin C, combined with a low carbohydrate diet, can dramatically reduce your triglyceride levels. Omega 3 fatty acids can help with cholesterol as well.

In summary:

1) Consuming carbohydrates creates high glucose levels in the blood stream, and excess glucose, once your cells have had their fill,  turns into triglycerides.

2) Fat does not make you fat. Fat consumption causes no insulin response, and as a result promotes the burning of both dietary and stored fat as fuel. And since the storing of fat only occurs if insulin tells your cells to open up, and only eating carbs/sugar can make that happen, replacing carbohydrates with good fats will help your body function properly, and help you REDUCE fat stores.

3) Following a no-fat diet is dangerous, as is eating too many carbohydrates. Your body needs fat to function, it does not need consumed carbohydrates, and is very capable at producing it’s own from fat stores.

Get your triglyceride levels checked
Make sure you get your triglyceride levels checked as part of your next blood test. Whether or not your triglyceride levels are high, you should do your part to keep levels down, following the tips on this page.

The normal level of triglycerides in your blood should be up to 199mg/dL. This is the level of triglycerides in the average healthy person.

The optimal level of triglycerides in your blood should be under 100mg/dL.

Related Topics

• Milk. Part 1
• The Paleolithic Diet
• Gary Taubes Defends Eating Fat.