Cholesterol and Triglycerides

Lipids, Triglycerides, and Heart Health

Millions of people have high cholesterol, but only a small fraction of them understand why triglycerides are a dangerous part of the cholesterol picture, according to a new survey of doctors and patients.

And guess who the doctors blame for their patients’ unawareness about triglycerides? Here’s a hint: They don’t blame doctors.

Blame game

Lipids are fats, and they’re essential for life. Your cell membranes would be lost without lipids. But when levels of triglycerides (a type of lipid) are elevated, you’ve got trouble. When triglycerides bind to carrier proteins, lipoproteins are created and may leave fat deposits in coronary arteries. Several studies have shown that high triglyceride levels sharply increase heart disease risk, even when no other risk factors exist.

So with all the hype about cholesterol, why aren’t more people familiar with triglycerides? Simple: There’s no drug that effectively lowers triglycerides, so consumers haven’t been bombarded with nearly two decades of advertisements that would have seared the word “triglycerides” into their brains. Cholesterol? Got it – we all know what that is. Triglycerides? Not so much. (Unless, of course, you’re an HSI member – we first told you about triglycerides more than five years ago.)

According to the results of a survey conducted this past summer by the National Lipid Association (NLA), only five percent of patients who use cholesterol-lowering statin drugs said they were aware of the guidelines for normal triglyceride levels. What’s more amazing is that nearly one in five doctors admitted they didn’t know what those guidelines were either.

More than 2,000 patients and 510 doctors were surveyed.

What I found most annoying about the doctors’ responses was the general attitude about their patients’ triglyceride knowledge. According to an Ivanhoe Newswire report, more than 90 percent of the doctors said, “patients need to learn more about lipid management.” And one doctor told Ivanhoe, “Unfortunately, patients don’t get the message.”

Well, let’s see. Where could they learn more? Who could give them the message? You’ve got a patient and a doctor in an examining room. They’re talking about heart health. Goshif only there were someone with a medical education present who could share triglyceride information – THAT might solve the problem!

Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for patients becoming active participants in their own health care and health knowledge. But those nine out of ten doctors who believe their patients don’t know enough about triglycerides only need to do two things: 1) Schedule a blood test, and 2) Discuss the test results that pertain to triglyceride levels with their patients.

There. Now wasn’t that easy?

Back to basics

For anyone who’s new to triglycerides, and for anyone who would like a little refresher (and for the 17 percent of doctors who told the NLA that they weren’t sure of the national guidelines for safe triglyceride levels), here’s a quick guide to triglyceride basics:

• In addition to heart disease, high triglyceride levels raise the risk of kidney disease and pancreatitis
• A normal triglyceride level is anything under 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
• When triglyceride levels reach 200 mg/dL, coronary artery disease risk doubles
• When triglyceride levels are more than 200 mg/dL and HDL cholesterol is below 40 mg/dL, coronary artery disease risk is four times higher
• Heart disease risk is considerably higher among women than men when triglyceride levels top 200 mg/dL
• Diabetics are prone to high triglycerides, so their levels should be carefully monitored
• There are two ways to control triglycerides: 1) Exercise regularly, and 2) Eat a balanced diet that’s low in sugar, simple carbohydrates, and processed foods

So let’s help doctors do their jobs. Share this e-Alert with a friend and we’ll raise our collective triglyceride I.Q.

For more detailed information about triglycerides, check the e-Alert “Fat Chance” (8/25/04), which you can find at this link:

http://www.hsionline.com/ealerts/ea200408/ea20040825.html

Sources:
“National Survey Shows Patients Are Unaware of Serious Heart Risks of Triglycerides” National Lipid Association, 9/26/06, lipid.org
“Cholesterol and Triglycerides: What You Need to Know” Lucy Williams, Ivanhoe Newswire, 9/27/06, Ivanhoe.com