Low triglycerides.

Triglycerides, a chief storage form of fats in your body, provide energy to heart muscles all the time, and used for energy for all parts of body except your brain.

The normal levels of triglycerides are below 150 mg/dL. If the levels are between 35-50 mg/dL, these are still considered normal. However, triglycerides below 35 mg/dL may or may not be considered dangerous depending on other aspects of your health.

There are 5 causes of low triglyceride level in body described below:

• Hyperthyroidism

• Malnutrition

• Certain drugs

• Low fat diet

• Malabsorption Syndrome

1. Hyperthyroidism

The thyroid gland is a brownish red small bowtie or butterfly-shaped gland and is considered one of the most important glands in our body. It produces two important hormones named as T3 (triiodothyroxine) and T4 (thyroxine).

Thyroxine stimulates and controls overall metabolism, increases oxygen consumption and heat production, promotes protein synthesis and is essential for normal growth.

The term hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis refers to a condition in which excess levels of thyroid hormones (T4 and T3) are present in blood. In other words, the thyroid gland is overactive. Hyperthyroidism has been seen a cause of low triglycerides in some patients.

If you have low triglyceride level, your healthcare professional will advise a thyroid function tests to evaluate the levels of both T3 and T4 hormones.

2. Malnutrition.

Any disorder that relates to insufficient intake of nutrients may come under malnutrition. Chronic malnutrition will ultimately deplete your body of its fat and thus if you are suffering from malnutrition you may have low triglyceride levels. How low the triglyceride levels are correlates with the degree, type and duration of malnutrition.

Malnutrition has large number of causes including: various diseases, cancer, too much alcohol consumption, loss of memory, depression, poverty, tuberculosis, inability to eat food, social isolation, medications, sepsis, child abuse and neglect, trauma, and surgery.

3. Certain drugs.

If you are using following drugs, you may be diagnosed with low triglyceride, as these drugs decrease the triglyceride measurements.

• Fish oil

• Nicotinic acid

• Statins

• Asparaginase

• Ascorbic acid

• Fenofibrate

• Gemfibrozil

• Clofibrate

• Any drug used for lowering triglyceride or cholesterol levels will result in low triglyceride level.

4. Low Fat diet.

Eating extremely low-fat or no-fat diet is unhealthy and can be dangerous for your health. Fats are not only a source of energy but also facilitate absorption of some fat-soluble vitamins, add flavor to our food, essential component of cell membranes, and also provide thermal insulation.

Low triglyceride level may be seen in people on no-fat diet to lose weight or just to get in shape. It is never recommended to completely eliminate fats from your food but keeping use of saturated and trans fats minimal is recommended. Therefore, if you are planning to reduce weight, please consult your healthcare provider for a balanced diet plan.

5. Malabsorption Syndrome.

Malabsorption entails difficulty digesting or absorbing nutrients from food. Many diseases and conditions are known to cause malabsorption of essential nutrients within gastrointestinal tract including sugars, fats, proteins, or vitamins from food. People with malabsorption syndrome especially of fats may have low triglycerides.

Following are some low triglyceride causes:

• AIDS

• Certain medications (e.g. certain antacids, antibiotics, or medications to lose weight)

• Cancer

• Certain types of surgery

• Chronic liver disease

• Chronic inflammation of pancreas (pancreatitis)

• Cow’s milk protein or soy milk protein intolerance

• After radiation therapy

Conclusion

Triglycerides are chief form of stored fats and are major source of energy. Your body needs these fats within normal ranges to provide energy. Having low triglycerides is an uncommon health problem and it has been seen in patients dealing with hyperthyroidism, malnutrition, malabsorption syndrome or due to use of certain medications or low-fat diet. To learn more about low triglycerides, low triglyceride level, and their effect on your health, download my Triglycerides E-Report by clicking here.