How to Lower Triglycerides
Learn how to lower triglycerides naturally with diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. Includes healthy ranges, timeline for results, and when to talk to your doctor.
Roughly 1 in 4 American adults have elevated triglyceride levels, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. If you just got bloodwork back and your doctor circled a number you did not expect, you are not alone.
Triglycerides are fats in your blood. Every time you eat more calories than your body needs right away, the liver converts the excess into triglycerides and stores them in fat cells for later. That is a perfectly normal process. The problem starts when levels stay high because you are consistently taking in more fuel than you burn, especially from sugar and refined carbs.
Triglycerides are one of the most responsive markers on your lipid panel. Unlike LDL cholesterol, which can be stubborn even with medication, triglycerides often drop significantly within a few weeks of real lifestyle changes. We will walk you through exactly what to do and in what order.
Cut added sugars and refined carbs
This is the single most impactful change you can make. When you eat more sugar and refined carbohydrates than your body needs for immediate energy, the liver converts the excess into triglycerides through a process called de novo lipogenesis. Fructose is especially problematic because the liver converts it into fat more readily than glucose. Start by eliminating sugary drinks like soda, sweetened juice, and energy drinks. Then cut back on white bread, white rice, pastries, and anything with high-fructose corn syrup. Replace them with whole grains, brown rice, and fiber-rich vegetables. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day for women and 36 grams for men. Aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily, with at least 5 to 10 grams from soluble sources like oatmeal, beans, and apples.
Good to know: Sugar-sweetened drinks deliver fructose fast and in volume, which is exactly the input the liver turns into triglycerides. Swapping soda for water or unsweetened tea is the easiest place to start.
Exercise most days of the week
Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week. That breaks down to about 30 minutes of brisk walking, cycling, or swimming five days a week. Add two full-body strength training sessions on top of that. Regular aerobic exercise trains your muscles to burn fat more efficiently as fuel. Even a single session of moderate exercise can reduce post-meal triglycerides by 30% to 50%. The catch is that this effect fades within about 48 hours if you stop, which is why consistency matters more than intensity. If you are not currently active, start with 20 minutes of brisk walking and build from there. Any movement is better than none.
Good to know: You do not need to run marathons. Walking briskly enough that you can still hold a conversation but would struggle to sing counts as moderate intensity. That is all it takes to start lowering your levels.
Eat more omega-3 fatty acids
Eat fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, or herring at least twice per week. Omega-3 fatty acids (specifically EPA and DHA) reduce the liver's production of VLDL particles, which are the main carriers of triglycerides in your blood. They also help your body clear triglycerides faster. A typical serving of fatty fish provides roughly 1 gram of EPA and DHA combined, which can reduce triglycerides by 5% to 10%. For people with levels above 200 mg/dL, a prescription-strength omega-3 supplement at 4 grams per day can cut levels by 20% to 30%. If you do not eat fish, plant sources like walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds provide ALA (a precursor to EPA and DHA), though the conversion rate in the body is low. Talk to your doctor before starting any supplement.
Lose a small amount of weight
If you are carrying extra weight, you do not need to hit your high school number. A 5% to 10% reduction in body weight can lower triglycerides by up to 20%. For a 200-pound person, that is just 10 to 20 pounds. Excess body fat, especially visceral fat around the abdomen, drives insulin resistance. When your cells resist insulin, the liver ramps up its production of VLDL triglyceride particles. Losing weight improves insulin sensitivity and reduces that output. Studies in people with metabolic syndrome show a 20% to 30% fall in triglyceride levels after losing about 7% of body weight.
Good to know: Focus on gradual, sustainable weight loss rather than crash dieting. Extreme calorie restriction can temporarily spike triglyceride levels before they fall. A deficit of 300 to 500 calories per day produces steady results without backfiring.
Limit or cut out alcohol
If your triglycerides are elevated, the most effective approach is to eliminate alcohol entirely. If that is not realistic, limit yourself to no more than one drink per day for women and two for men. Alcohol increases the liver's synthesis of large VLDL particles (the main triglyceride carriers), adds excess calories that are easily converted to triglycerides, and has a significant additive effect on post-meal triglyceride spikes. This is especially true when alcohol is consumed alongside fatty foods. Even moderate drinking can measurably raise triglyceride levels. For people with triglycerides above 500 mg/dL, clinical guidance is clear. Zero alcohol until levels come down to a safe range. At that level, the risk of acute pancreatitis is real and serious.
Triglycerides respond to effort faster than almost any other number on your bloodwork. Cutting sugar and alcohol is where the fastest movement comes from, though how far and how fast your own number falls depends on your starting level and what is driving it. If your levels are above 150 mg/dL, start with the first two steps. Cut the added sugar and get moving. Those two changes alone will do more than anything else on this list. If your levels are above 500 mg/dL, talk to your doctor before making changes on your own. That is the range where acute pancreatitis becomes a real risk and medication may be needed immediately. The 2026 ACC/AHA Guideline on Management of Dyslipidemias now recognizes triglyceride-rich remnant particles as a significant independent risk factor for heart disease. That is a shift from earlier guidelines that focused almost entirely on LDL cholesterol. If you have already worked through our guides on how to lower cholesterol and how to lower blood pressure, think of this as the third piece of the puzzle.
Questions we get asked about this
Answers from experience, not a textbook.
Avoid or minimize sugary drinks (soda, sweetened juices, energy drinks), baked goods and pastries, candy, white bread, white pasta, white rice, fried foods, red and processed meats, and anything with high-fructose corn syrup. Alcohol should be eliminated or severely limited. These foods either contain added sugars that the liver converts directly into triglycerides or are calorie-dense and contribute to excess calorie intake. Replace them with whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fatty fish, nuts, and olive oil.
Triglycerides respond to lifestyle changes faster than most other blood lipid markers. You may see a noticeable improvement in as little as 2 to 3 weeks with aggressive dietary changes, especially cutting sugar and alcohol. Someone starting at 300 mg/dL who makes significant changes may see a drop of 100 or more points within a month. More substantial and reliable reductions typically take 6 to 12 weeks. Ask your doctor when to recheck, since the interval depends on how high your starting number was.
No. Triglycerides and cholesterol are both lipids found in your blood, but they are different substances with different functions. Triglycerides store unused calories and provide energy between meals. Cholesterol is used to build cell membranes, produce hormones, and aid digestion. They are measured together in a standard lipid panel and both contribute to cardiovascular risk, but they require different management strategies. You can have high triglycerides with normal cholesterol or vice versa.
Yes, but it works best combined with dietary changes. Exercise alone can reduce post-meal triglycerides by 30% to 50%. The recommended amount is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week. However, the triglyceride-lowering effect of a single exercise session fades within about 48 hours, which is why regular and consistent activity matters. Combining exercise with dietary changes, especially sugar reduction, works better than either alone.
Not always. Lifestyle changes are the first-line treatment. Whether they are enough on their own depends on how high your levels are and what is driving them. Doctors typically recommend trying lifestyle changes for 3 to 6 months before considering medication. However, medication may be needed if levels remain above 150 mg/dL despite consistent effort, if levels are very high (500 mg/dL or above, which carries pancreatitis risk), or if you have established cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Common medications include statins, fibrates, and prescription omega-3s like icosapent ethyl.
Heart Health Fundamentals
How to Lower Blood Pressure
How to Lower Cholesterol
How to Check Your Heart Rate
How to Lower Triglycerides
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