New data from the CDC shows that adults in the United States reduced their average triglyceride levels between 2001 and 2012.

Our hearts appear to be a little healthier, by at least one measure anyway.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new report today that states the average levels of triglycerides among adults in the United States have been dropping over the past decade.

The report authors reached their conclusion by gathering data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2001 and 2012.

Of particular interest were triglycerides, fatty molecules formed by the liver as it digests fats and carbohydrates. These fatty molecules circulate in the bloodstream, where they may contribute to the build up of cholesterol plaques and the hardening of the arteries.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among people in the United States.

“Many epidemiological studies have reported associations between triglyceride concentrations and the risk of coronary heart disease,” said Margaret D. Carroll, health statistician and lead author of the report, in an interview with Healthline.

The report found that the percentage of American adults age 20 or older who had triglyceride levels of 150 mg/dL or higher decreased from 33 percent in 2001 to 25 percent by 2012. Carroll noted that triglyceride levels remained steady between 1976 and 1991, and there were slight increases in levels between 1994 and 2002.

Heart health has been showing improvement in recent years, Carroll said. Obesity rates in the United States have leveled off since 2004 and the rates of heart disease deaths dropped steadily during the past decade.

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