Causes of High Triglycerides

While doctors do not know the specific high triglyceride causes, they have identified factors that increase a person's risk of developing high triglycerides. Risk factors include being overweight, consuming too much alcohol, being physically inactive, taking birth control pills or certain other medications, and certain diseases. Inadequate fasting prior to a cholesterol test can artificially cause high triglyceride levels in the blood.

An Overview of High Triglyceride Causes

Triglycerides are a form of fat carried through the bloodstream. Most of your body's fat is in the form of triglycerides stored in fat tissue. Only small amounts of triglycerides are found in the bloodstream.
 
So how do you get high triglycerides? Unfortunately, most of the time there is no specific answer to that question. While doctors and scientists do not know the specific cause or causes, they do know certain factors that increase a person's chances for developing high triglycerides. These factors are known as high triglyceride risk factors.
 

Know the Risk Factors

While they are not specific causes of high triglycerides, risk factors can increase a person's chances of having high triglyceride levels.
 These risk factors include:
 
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Physical inactivity
  • Excessive alcohol use
  • Birth control pills
  • Other drugs, including diuretics and steroids
  • Very high carbohydrate diet
  • Genetic disorders such as familiar hypertriglyceridemia
  • Certain diseases, including:

 

  

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
 
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