How to lower triglycerides

Written by Steve Fayzulayev. Clinically reviewed by Naomi Fayzulayev, FNP-C, MSN.

Last reviewed 2026-11-09. See our editorial policy and methodology.

Triglycerides are the most responsive lipid on the panel and among the most responsive markers of any kind. That cuts both ways: they fall quickly when the cause is removed, and a single bad week can make a good trajectory look like a bad one.

Target < 80 mg/dL

The longevity-optimised range used by the atherogenic dial. See what triglycerides measures for the reasoning.

What to expect, and when

Days to weeks. Removing alcohol alone can halve a borderline value within two weeks. Cutting refined carbohydrate and fructose works on a similar timescale. If triglycerides stay above 150 mg/dL after a genuine month of both, the driver is more likely insulin resistance or a secondary cause than diet composition.

What works, in order of leverage

1. Stop alcohol for four weeks

The single most potent lever in most people who drink at all. The liver prioritises ethanol metabolism and exports triglyceride while doing so. This is also a clean experiment: the result tells you how much of the number was alcohol.

2. Cut liquid fructose

Sugar-sweetened drinks and fruit juice drive hepatic de novo lipogenesis more directly than any other dietary input. Whole fruit behaves differently and is not the problem.

3. Reduce refined carbohydrate load

Quantity and absorption speed both matter. Fibre, protein and fat alongside carbohydrate slow it.

4. Add EPA and DHA

Reliably and dose-dependently lowers triglycerides, but meaningful reductions need gram-level intakes — far more than a standard multivitamin contains.

5. Reduce visceral fat

Addresses the insulin resistance generating the excess VLDL rather than the number it produces.

6. Train aerobically

Lowers triglycerides acutely after a session and chronically with sustained training.

Supporting supplements

Omega-3 (EPA+DHA) — 3–4g/day with foodevidence A
Reduces triglycerides 20–30% at therapeutic doses. FDA-approved (Vascepa) at 4g/day for hypertriglyceridemia.

Evidence tiers: A = consistent human trial support, B = mixed or mechanistic, C = early. Supplements support the changes above; they do not replace them.

What does not work

Worth knowing before spending effort on it.

Eating low-fat

Replacing dietary fat with refined carbohydrate usually raises triglycerides. This is one of the clearest cases where the intuitive change is the wrong one.

Testing without fasting properly

Triglycerides are more fasting-dependent than any other lipid. A non-fasting draw can read high enough to change the interpretation entirely — and so can alcohol within two or three days.

Acting on a single reading

Day-to-day variability is high. Two measurements under comparable conditions are worth more than one.

Treating the number in isolation

High triglycerides are usually a symptom of insulin resistance. Lowering them without addressing that leaves the underlying process running.

When to involve a clinician

Triglycerides above 500 mg/dL carry a risk of pancreatitis and need clinical management rather than a lifestyle plan. Persistently high values despite genuine change warrant investigation for hypothyroidism, kidney disease or a familial lipid disorder.

Track triglycerides across all 8 dials →

triglycerides feeds atherogenic age. See what a good Triglycerides level is and why it differs from your lab's range. Other action guides: all improvement guides.