[labeng]

Hi Kathy,
Triglycerides are one of three components that make up your total cholesterol report, the other two being HDL (high density lipoprotein, the good), and LDL (low density lipoprotein, the bad).

It’s my understanding that triglycerides basically indicate how much fat is in your bloodstream. Don’t confuse that with body fat, though being overweight can increase your triglycerides, a slender person can also be high. The higher the reading, the thicker your blood will actually be. Which, given enough time, can contribute to fatty deposits in the artery walls and increase the risk for stroke.

There is a ton of info on the net on how to decrease your triglycerides. Most of which will point to exercise and reducing your trans fat and carb intake. Actually 160 is high but not extremely high, <150 is recommended, closer to 100 is excellent. Carbs are converted to glucose and excess glucose can end up as fat in the bloodstream. One of the reasons that exercise helps is because your muscles use up more of that glucose as fuel, leaving less behind to get converted into fat, whether it be around the waistline, in the bloodstream or both. Having back pain, I can relate to how hard it is to exercise sometimes.

Regards,
Larry