My father has just gone under Lipid profile test where his Triglycerides level examined as 611, I know it is very high but please advise is it serious or not and how to lower it down?

Dt. Neha BhatiaDietitian/Nutritionist5yrs exp

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Hi lybrate-user High levels of cholesterol are related to the intake of processed foods, sedentary lifestyle, nutrient deficiencies and stress. Many people think that cholesterol diet is directly responsible for cholesterol in the blood. So, all they have to do is to cut out high ? cholesterol foods and their blood cholesterol will become normal. This is a misconception. Merely cutting down on the cholesterol diet will have a very little, almost an insignificant effect on blood cholesterol. It is important to know how to reduce and control cholesterol by relying on a good diet. When the body is fed with high cholesterol foods like eggs, red meat, high-fat dairy products, the excess cholesterol is metabolised and excreted leaving blood levels unchanged. Furthermore, the liver compensates for the excess intake of cholesterol by reducing its production so that the blood levels of cholesterol do not rise. All this happens if the person is leading a healthy lifestyle, consuming a lot of antioxidants in the form of fruits and vegetables; eating whole food in the form of whole grain cereals, whole grain pulses & avoiding processed & refined foods in addition to exercising. All these factors protect from the mishandling of dietary cholesterol. On the other hand if you are living a life of stress and eating the regular fast-food fare as well as a diet rich in cholesterol namely eggs, red meat and saturated fat in animal foods, then your body will metabolise the cholesterol diet differently. The liver then does not act as a safeguard; instead it allows the excess cholesterol diet to enter the blood stream and subsequently stores it in the blood vessels and coronary arteries. Such people get affected by cholesterol rich foods and benefit from knowing how to reduce their dietary cholesterol intake. This only justifies the phrase one man?s food is another man?s poison. Whatever be the reason of raising blood cholesterol, the answer is quite simple. When you increase your intake of soluble fibre, it helps bring down the blood cholesterol dramatically. The point to note here is that fibre occurs exclusively in plant food. Animal foods like chicken, fish, meat, beef, cheese, eggs, milk have little or no fibre to boast of. Fresh, raw fruits and vegetables especially the way we do it in Indian cooking (soggy and overcooked) destroy much fibre. Juices have little or no fibre. Similarly unrefined grains products like dhalia (broken wheat), whole wheat flour, wheat puffs, Brown Rice, Jowar & Bajra flour, whole dals like channa, rajhma, chowli, beans, black dal etc. High in fibre. Control cholesterol with breads and biscuits that high in fibre will list ?whole wheat flour? and not just wheat flour, as their chief ingredient on the label. Wheat bran is one of the highest fibre foods known because its fibre content is about 50%. There is no doubt that a diet rich in soluble fibre can lower blood cholesterol, blood pressure & prevent strokes as well as heart attacks. Soluble fibre is found in oat bran, fruits and vegetables. It has a powerful impact on the body?s metabolism of sugar and fats. So, how much fibre should you eat? It has been seen that in most Asian countries incidence of heart disease and diabetes is low. How to reduce cholesterol is a general question that everyone asks. People in these countries consume anywhere between 40-60gms of fibre per day. But an intake of 40-45gms of fibre is recommended to prevent heart disease. In the metros; however, the diet pattern is similar to the western countries; hence, the incidence of heart disease is more in the metros. To increase the fibre content of your diet and thereby reduce or control cholesterol levels all you have to do is: Switch to this Instead of this Unpeeled fruits and vegetable Whole wheat bread (please note whole wheat bread is not the same as brown bread). Fresh fruits Brown Rice or Wild Rice Oat Bran Whole grain dals like channa & rajhma, black dal chowli, green mung. Whole wheat bread. Popped corn and puffed wheat Snack on high fibre biscuits like those made from millets or bran or soya bean or whole wheat flour. Peeled fruits and vegetables White bread Fruit juices Polished white rice Instant Oatmeal Animal protein White flour (maida) Potato chips & fried sev Maida biscuits, where the label reads as ?wheat flour? as their main ingredients. 

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