cholesterol -RSB- , people tended to forget triglycerides . '' he said . Being too heavy , getting too little activity , drinking lots of alcohol and eating lots of saturated fat can all add up to higher triglyceride levels because the body stores excess calories as triglycerides . Health.com : Fats to eat , fats to avoid Triglycerides are a third type of fatty particle found in the blood , along with LDL cholesterol and HDL -LRB- also known as good -RRB- cholesterol . People taking certain medications or those who have diabetes or a genetic condition can have high triglycerides . Health.com : What cholesterol tests reveal about your heart 's health Nordestgaard said that high triglycerides are as dangerous as high cholesterol levels as a risk marker for heart disease and early death . `` There 's a really big potential for further prevention of heart disease and strokes by getting more focused on that , '' he said . Health.com : How stress can trigger heart problems The problem : Right now , the best way to attack high triglycerides is by losing weight , eating more healthily , and becoming more active -- a tall
What the heck are triglycerides ? If you do n't know , you have plenty of company . One in every three Americans has high triglyceride levels , which elevate risk of heart disease and early death . The fatty particles found in your blood are important for heart health , but do n't get nearly as much attention as , say , cholesterol . Now a new study suggests that there 's a good chance that your triglycerides are in the unhealthy zone , whether you know what they are or not . About one-third of American adults have triglyceride levels that are borderline or too high , according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine . `` I see it as a major problem that we 've completely ignored this problem so far , '' said Dr. Børge Nordestgaard of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark . Nordestgaard has conducted research linking high triglyceride levels to cardiovascular disease and early death , but was not involved in the CDC research . `` Everyone in clinical practice seemed to be so focused on LDL , LDL , LDL -LSB- bad