People who are insulin-resistant often have elevated triglycerides. People who are overweight show signs of insulin resistance more often than people who are normal weight. Ten to 20 people out of a hundred are resistant to insulin. Because these conditions occur in a cluster, the steps you take to bring one of the conditions into a healthy range will likely improve the others. For example, if you're overweight, simply losing up to 10 or 15 percent of your current body weight can bring blood pressure down and increase your cells' sensitivity to insulin.
Exercise is an important component of weight loss.
It also raises HDL blood levels, even without weight loss. Steps to help bring triglycerides down include a diet low in alcohol and refined carbohydrates like soda, table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, which is widespread in prepared foods and listed on labels. Contrary to what some think, this is not in conflict with the Dietary Guidelines recommendation to eat 55 percent of total calories from carbohydrates, primarily complex carbohydrates. For more information, contact your local Colorado State University Cooperative Extension office . Go to top of this page.