March 28 is National Triglycerides Day. While it doesn’t have all of the big fanfare and attention of many other awareness days, understanding what triglycerides are and how they affect your health is an important part of helping your loved one stay in good health as well as yourself. Here are a few important things to know about triglycerides and how home care can help seniors improve overall health.
What are Triglycerides
Triglycerides are fats that come from food. Extra calories that are consumed, as well as alcohol and sugar in the body, turn into triglycerides. The body then stores them in fat cells throughout the body for future use. Triglycerides are a necessary part of the human body but problems begin to arise when a person has too many of them stored up and doesn’t use them.
Why High Levels of Triglycerides are Bad for Your Loved One’s Health
High triglycerides (hypertriglyceridemia) can put a person at a higher risk of heart and vascular (blood vessel) disease. They can also increase the risk of pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is a painful and severe inflammation of the pancreas and can create a life-threatening health risk.
High triglyceride levels also increase your loved one’s risk of heart and vascular disease, including:
- Carotid artery disease
- Coronary artery disease including a possible heart attack.
- Metabolic syndrome (a combination of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity).
- Stroke
- Peripheral artery disease
Risk Factors for Developing High Triglyceride Levels
Several health conditions or lifestyle choices can increase the risk of your loved one developing high triglyceride levels.
- Being physically inactive
- Excessive use of alcohol
- Not managing blood sugar levels when diabetic
- Having a diet that is primarily high in sugar, saturated fats, and simple carbohydrates
- Liver disease
- Kidney disease
- Thyroid disease.
- Inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
- Some medications can lead to higher levels of triglycerides like diuretics, hormones, corticosteroids, beta-blockers, and some HIV medications.
- Having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25.
- Being a smoker
Lifestyle Changes Can Reduce Triglyceride Levels
The good news about triglycerides is that they can be positively affected by making certain lifestyle changes. The bad news is that for many, changing a lifetime of certain habits or familiar patterns can be difficult. The older a person is, it’s often more difficult for them to make changes, so enlisting a support partner or two can be key to making lifestyle changes that make a difference in your loved one’s triglyceride levels.
Home care providers can help make certain changes to your loved one’s home life easier, especially when it comes to what he eats. Your loved one’s doctor may make recommendations for him to adjust his diet to become more heart-healthy by reducing unhealthy fats, increasing fiber, and decreasing the amount of carbohydrates he eats each day. While your loved one may have good intentions to follow the doctor’s orders, he might struggle with how to buy the correct foods at the market and then how to incorporate them into his daily meal plan.
A home care provider can step in and assist with his meals and his purchases to help him succeed. From making the grocery list to driving to the store, finding the right foods, and then bringing them home to prepare, a home care provider can set your loved one up for success from the very beginning.
