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Why do we have low triglycerides?

by Paco Amorós

Nutrition Sports Health

It’s very common in health conversations, especially from the age of 40 onwards, to talk about high and low triglycerides, good cholesterol and bad cholesterol… In most cases, people don’t really know or fully understand what it means to have high or low triglyceride or cholesterol levels.

In this article, we’ll look at what can cause low triglyceride levels.

Low and high triglycerides—but what are triglycerides?

We should start by understanding what triglycerides are. Triglycerides are a type of fat that the body stores and uses when it needs energy.

And what produces triglycerides? In very simple terms, the body produces triglycerides, but they mainly come from the food you eat. Excess calories—that is, calories the body doesn’t use immediately—are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells (adipocytes) for later use.

Triglycerides can come from products or foods where fats are easy to identify (see), but also from products or foods where they aren’t visible. In the first group, ‘visible fats’, you have oils, butter, or fatty meats (bacon, cured meats, etc.). In the second group, ‘non-visible fats’, you’ll find nuts, fish, milk, dairy products…

When people eat, they take in fats, and those the body doesn’t need immediately are stored. These fats stored in fat cells are triglycerides.

Regularly consuming more fats and calories (especially from carbohydrates and/or sugar) than the body needs immediately—and therefore ends up storing—poses a health risk.

Normal triglyceride levels vary by age, but in general they are:

Adults: less than 150 mg/dl (milligrams of triglycerides per decilitre of blood) and more than 35 mg/dl.
Adolescents and young people (up to 20 years old): less than 90 mg/dl and more than 35 mg/dl.

Low triglycerides, below 35 mg/dl

High triglyceride levels pose major health risks because they can promote hardening of the arteries or thickening of arterial walls, which greatly increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

However, what people don’t usually pay attention to is having low triglycerides. So what should we consider low triglyceride levels? As noted, normal triglyceride values are below 150 mg/dl, but when adult triglyceride levels fall below 35 mg/dl, you should see a medical specialist.

Having low triglycerides, that is, below 35 mg/dl (also known as triglyceride deficiency), means your body won’t have enough energy to cope with daily challenges and, logically, it can also lead to health problems.

Having low triglycerides can mean a lack of energy. — Having low triglycerides (below 35 mg/dl) will mean a lack of energy to do sports activities like running, but also to cope with day-to-day challenges.

Symptoms of low triglycerides

In general, a person with low triglycerides (below 35 mg/dl) may experience these symptoms:

Weight loss.
Weakness.
Persistent fatigue.
Difficulty concentrating.

So, if these symptoms appear, you should contact your GP so they can request a blood test to determine whether there is a low triglyceride issue and what may be causing the triglyceride deficiency.

People who regularly do aerobic endurance exercise, such as road or trail running, often have what’s known as a “heart-healthy profile”, which involves low triglyceride levels (and also low levels of so-called bad cholesterol), but low within the normal range—meaning above 35 mg/dl and below 150 mg/dl.

Having triglycerides below 35 mg/dl is not recommended. — People who run regularly often have what’s known as a “heart-healthy profile”.

Main causes of low triglycerides

There is broad agreement in the medical and scientific community on the main causes behind low triglyceride levels. They are as follows:

Low-fat diet.
Malnutrition.
Hyperthyroidism.
Intestinal malabsorption syndrome.
Cholesterol-lowering medication.

Low-fat diet

This is undoubtedly the most common cause of low triglyceride levels. Some people mistakenly believe that eating fats and carbohydrates is bad for your health and remove foods from their diet that, when eaten appropriately and in moderation, provide healthy and much-needed fats.

It’s a good idea to reduce your intake of fats, especially saturated and trans fats (common in ultra-processed foods), but it’s not a good decision to obsess over eliminating all fats and carbohydrates, because that will lead to very low triglyceride levels.

Saturated fats don’t allow you to have low triglycerides. — To maintain a good triglyceride level, you need to reduce your intake of fats, especially saturated and trans fats, which are common in ultra-processed foods like those in the photo. (Photo: Freepic)

In even worse cases, people adopt dangerous diets that are overly restrictive in fats and carbohydrates. If followed for a long time, this can lead to a chronic deficiency of nutrients needed for the body to function properly and, as a result, to health problems that can become severe.

Nutrition and cardiology specialists recommend following a heart-healthy diet, in which foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids play a key role. Proper consumption of foods such as oily fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, or anchovies), natural nuts, or extra virgin olive oil benefits the heart and blood circulation.

And in addition to the foods mentioned in the previous paragraph, any nutritional recommendation would also include eating vegetables and fruit (at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day), which provide fibre and antioxidants; legumes and whole grains; and prioritising lean meats (chicken, turkey, and rabbit) over beef, pork, or lamb, as they are rich in high-quality protein and low in fat.

Malnutrition

Lack of food leads to malnutrition. A low intake of nutrients, including triglycerides, can result in malnutrition.

Malnutrition may be due to lack of access to food for social reasons (poverty, armed conflict, natural disasters…), due to a psychological disorder (anorexia, alcoholism…), or due to terminal illnesses…

Some symptoms that may indicate possible malnutrition are:

Alarming weight loss.
Loss of muscle mass and muscle weakness.
Brittle nails and hair, along with dry, dehydrated skin.
Loss of appetite.
Low mood and changes in mood.
Swollen belly.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is a condition that occurs when the thyroid gland is overactive—that is, it functions abnormally and produces thyroid hormones excessively.

When you have hyperthyroidism, your body’s metabolism speeds up, which means higher energy use—i.e., burning more calories—which reduces triglyceride levels.

Hyperthyroidism is one of the main causes of low triglycerides.

Intestinal malabsorption syndrome

Intestinal malabsorption syndrome usually occurs in people with certain conditions (food intolerances, coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis…) and causes the intestine to malfunction and be unable to absorb nutrients (including carbohydrates and fats), leading to a deficiency.

Cholesterol-lowering medication

The use of certain medications prescribed to reduce (bad) cholesterol levels in the blood can be behind a decrease in blood triglyceride levels and cause low triglycerides.

In conclusion, when low triglycerides are diagnosed, or levels are below the normal range, what matters is carrying out a more thorough assessment to see where the imbalance is coming from. Triglycerides at a normal level are necessary for our body to function and to keep us healthy.

References:

https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/ency/article/003493.htm

https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/triglycerides.html

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002914916304842

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2759134

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