triglycerides of 100: what it means and how to keep it there

Ranked by an overall score that blends how much of your gap the lever could close, how doable it is, how strong the evidence is, and how accessible it is. Effects are population averages and are partly overlapping — this is a menu, not a checklist to do all at once.

1. 1

   Viscous fiber — psyllium (~10 g/day)

   Fiber

   ~4%

   typical triglycerides drop

   Evidence A

   Fiber levers are sub-additive — stacking psyllium, oats and beans won't simply add up. Build up the dose slowly to avoid bloating.

   Source: Jovanovski 2018 (Am J Clin Nutr) · 28 RCTs, 1,924 participants: a median 10.2 g/day of psyllium lowered LDL by 0.33 mmol/L (~13 mg/dL), non-HDL by 0.39 mmol/L and apolipoprotein B by 0.05 g/L.

2. 2

   Omega-3 / fish oil (EPA+DHA)

   Supplement

   ~25%

   typical triglycerides drop

   Evidence A

   A triglyceride lever, not an LDL one. If your triglycerides are very high (500+) a 4 g/day EPA+DHA dose can raise LDL while cutting triglycerides — though ApoB and non-HDL still fall, so an LDL-only reading overstates that downside. Below 500 it does not raise LDL, and EPA-only formulations do not raise it at all.

   Source: AHA Science Advisory 2019 (Circulation) · At 4 g/day, EPA+DHA agents cut triglycerides by 30% or more in people with very high triglycerides (≥500 mg/dL) 'with concurrent increases in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol'; EPA-only agents did not raise LDL. Between 200–499 mg/dL neither formulation raises LDL, and apolipoprotein B and non-HDL fall.

3. 3

   Tree nuts / almonds (~45 g/day)

   Diet

   ~3%

   typical triglycerides drop

   Evidence B

   Modest on its own. Best as a replacement for refined snacks, not added on top of your current calories.

   Source: Del Gobbo 2015 (Am J Clin Nutr) · 61 controlled trials, 2,582 participants: each 28.4 g/day serving lowered LDL by 4.8 mg/dL, apolipoprotein B by 3.7 mg/dL and triglycerides by 2.2 mg/dL.

4. 4

   Regular aerobic exercise

   Lifestyle

   ~7%

   typical triglycerides drop

   Evidence A

   Genuinely lowers LDL, but modestly — pooled across 148 trials it is about 5%, alongside a similar drop in triglycerides. Do it for your overall cardiovascular risk; it will not close a large ApoB gap on its own.

   Source: Smart 2025 (Sports Med) · 148 RCTs, 8,673 participants: exercise training lowered LDL by 7.22 mg/dL (95% CI −9.08 to −5.35) and triglycerides by 8.01 mg/dL (95% CI −10.45 to −5.58) — 'significant but modest' 3.5–11.7% improvements. Trial sequence analysis found the evidence base has reached futility, meaning further trials are unlikely to overturn it.

5. 5

   Cut refined carbs & added sugar

   Diet

   ~8%

   typical triglycerides drop

   Evidence B

   Lowers triglycerides and, by a few percent, LDL — and not just by way of weight loss. What replaces the carbs still matters: swapping them for saturated fat can push LDL back up.

   Source: Te Morenga 2014 (Am J Clin Nutr) · 37 lipid trials: higher versus lower free-sugar intake raised triglycerides by 0.11 mmol/L and LDL by 0.12 mmol/L (P = 0.0001). The relation was strongest in trials that held energy intake constant, and the authors conclude it is independent of any effect of sugar on body weight.

6. 6

   Lose 5–10% of body weight (if overweight)

   Lifestyle

   ~20%

   typical triglycerides drop

   Evidence A

   Bigger effect on ApoB and triglycerides than on LDL, and the hardest lever to sustain — but it improves many risk factors at once.

   Source: Hasan 2020 (J Clin Endocrinol Metab) · 73 RCTs, 32,496 adults: each kilogram lost lowered triglycerides by 4.0 mg/dL and LDL by 1.28 mg/dL at 12 months. The review did not measure apolipoprotein B.

7. 7

   Bergamot polyphenol supplement

   Supplement

   ~10%

   typical triglycerides drop

   Evidence C

   Promising but the evidence is low-quality and short-term. Not a statin substitute; quality varies between brands.

   Source: Lamiquiz-Moneo 2020 (Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr) · 12 human studies: 75% showed a significant LDL reduction, ranging 7.6% to 40.8% — but the authors note the designs were heterogeneous and the scientific quality of the studies was 'quite limited'.