When you think of cholesterol and triglycerides, sugar probably doesn’t come to mind. Actually, sugar doesn’t have anything to do with cholesterol, but it does have something to do with triglycerides…
The majority of the fats we consume are in triglyceride form (i.e. butter, margarine {do people still eat that?}, and oils). Triglycerides come from the food we eat and are transferred in the blood. Excess calories including alcohol and SUGAR are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells.
Other than the fact that both cholesterol and triglycerides are fatty substances called lipids, they are completely different. Cholesterol is not a fat (triglycerides are), rather an odorless and waxy substance created by the liver. Believe it or not, cholesterol is vital to our bodies (in certain amounts). It is an important component of cell walls and nerves and aids in digestion and hormone production. Besides being formed by our bodies, cholesterol also comes from the foods we eat (research does show that saturated fats {red meat} have a greater impact on cholesterol levels in the blood than dietary cholesterol {eggs}). Because cholesterol cannot dissolve in blood, the liver combines it with triglycerides and proteins (aka lipoproteins…thus comes HDL, LDL) for transport throughout the body.
Triglyceride levels are tested during a lipid profile (blood draw). In addition to triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL levels are tested.
Here are the levels…
Normal: <150 mg/dL
Borderline high: 151-200 mg/dL
High: 201-499 mg/dL
Very High: >500 mg/dL
Consuming foods high in simple sugar (even “healthy” raw sugars/evaporated cane juice) significantly contributes to elevating triglyceride levels. Additionally, even naturally occurring sugars (honey, fructose from fruit juice) consumed in excess can raise triglycerides.
What to do:
Keep your sugar consumption in check. Yes, HFCS is bad (very bad) but don’t just replace it with cane sugar. Sugar is still sugar and we need to watch it…sad, because I could live on sugar alone. The American Heart Association has great recommendations that I try to stick by:
Men- Less than 9 tsp of added sugar per day
Women- Less than 6 tsp of added sugar per day
Children- Less than 3 tsp of added sugar per day
*there are 4 grams in 1 tsp
** I cup of Honey Nut Cheerios has 12 grams of sugar!
Normal: <150 mg/dL
Borderline high: 151-200 mg/dL
High: 201-499 mg/dL
Very High: >500 mg/dL
Consuming foods high in simple sugar (even “healthy” raw sugars/evaporated cane juice) significantly contributes to elevating triglyceride levels. Additionally, even naturally occurring sugars (honey, fructose from fruit juice) consumed in excess can raise triglycerides.
What to do:
Keep your sugar consumption in check. Yes, HFCS is bad (very bad) but don’t just replace it with cane sugar. Sugar is still sugar and we need to watch it…sad, because I could live on sugar alone. The American Heart Association has great recommendations that I try to stick by:
Men- Less than 9 tsp of added sugar per day
Women- Less than 6 tsp of added sugar per day
Children- Less than 3 tsp of added sugar per day
*there are 4 grams in 1 tsp
** I cup of Honey Nut Cheerios has 12 grams of sugar!
