Help interpreting cholesterol numbers?

[valuator]

I had "borderline" cholesterol levels in the past (I never knew enough to ask the actual results), diagnosed Type 2 in Jan 2018, and then in May 2018 was put on statins (10mg).

I'm honestly not sure what my cholesterol numbers were in say 2017 or early 2018, but I do have my most recent test results. From what I can, I need to lower my triglycerides and up my HDL. I'd like to stop taking the statins until I get my head around my current results.

Sept 2018 - Total cholesterol 4.21, LDL 2.46, HDL 0.91, triclycerides 1.85, non-HDL 3.30
Jan 2019 - Total cholesterol 4.33, LDL 2.59, HDL 0.79, triclycerides 2.08, non-HDL 3.54

From my cursory research, the foods recommended I avoid are key components of the low-carb WOE. How do you reconcile that? I've learned to be skeptical of any dietary advice from my doctor or hospital given propensity to push a low fat, high carb diet.....

Any easy-to-understand literature that is recommended? Any general advice?

 

[bulkbiker]

First question.. had you fasted for 10-14 hours before the blood was taken for the test or had you eaten/drunk anything other than water? Especially the January test.

 

[valuator]

Yes, I did fortunately fast for about 11 hours....at the time I didn't actually know that fasting is important for an accurate reading of triglycerides, but I was fasting out of general habit in advance of a blood test (I also told the phlebotomist that I was fasting).

 

[bulkbiker]

So your triglycerides look quite high.. and your HDL a bit low. Do you follow any particular way of eating at the moment?
Are you still /have you ever taken the statins?

 

[bulkbiker]

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cholesterol-and-statins.156985/

If you want to delve a bit deeper most of the current data that I have found is on this thread.

 

[valuator]

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cholesterol-and-statins.156985/

If you want to delve a bit deeper most of the current data that I have found is on this thread.

Thanks, I am going to try to absorb everything in that link.

WOE - generally under 100g carb per day. I avoid rice, bread, pasta, and most fruit. I eat a lot of eggs and beef. I have a weakness for a good breakfast sandwich, so I do eat a white english muffin about once a week with processed sausage...I know this needs to stop!

I've been taking the statins until last week....I've had a lot of unexplained pain in my feet and blood glucose levels that have trended upwards, so I made a somewhat rash/uneducated decision to stop taking them. FYI my January A1C was 51, up from 37 in May 2018 and 46 in September 2018. Level at diagnosis in Jan 2018 was 83.

 

[bulkbiker]

Thanks, I am going to try to absorb everything in that link.

WOE - generally under 100g carb per day. I avoid rice, bread, pasta, and most fruit. I eat a lot of eggs and beef. I have a weakness for a good breakfast sandwich, so I do eat a white english muffin about once a week with processed sausage...I know this needs to stop!

I've been taking the statins until last week....I've had a lot of unexplained pain in my feet and blood glucose levels that have trended upwards, so I made a somewhat rash/uneducated decision to stop taking them. FYI my January A1C was 51, up from 37 in May 2018 and 46 in September 2018. Level at diagnosis in Jan 2018 was 83.

Theres about a weeks worth of videos and papers so take your time!

 

[SaladDaze]

I'm in a similar boat. I was prescribed 10mg statins a couple of months ago but haven't started taking them yet and don't really want to. My cholesterol is above normal but not that high. Because my weight is now normal and BG under control my medic says its must be genetic/predisposition rather than 'curable' by diet/exercise. If I do start them then I'll be watching my BG very closely.

 

[valuator]

Theres about a weeks worth of videos and papers so take your time!

Just digging into this, but thank you so much for putting together that thread. A lot of reading and watching to do, but I know it will be worthwhile.

In the short term, I see that I need to lower my carbs even more and also make sure to get lots of omega-3.

So my strategy is to go even lower carb, increase fibre, and increase foods with omega-3 in order to decrease triglycerides and up my HDL.

What about red meat....my doctor tells me this is not good for me....should I even be concerned about my LDL?

 

[Guzzler]

Just digging into this, but thank you so much for putting together that thread. A lot of reading and watching to do, but I know it will be worthwhile.

In the short term, I see that I need to lower my carbs even more and also make sure to get lots of omega-3.

So my strategy is to go even lower carb, increase fibre, and increase foods with omega-3 in order to decrease triglycerides and up my HDL.

What about red meat....my doctor tells me this is not good for me....should I even be concerned about my LDL?

Just a little FYI about O6s and O3s, it is easier to lower the O6s than to raise the O3s to the right ratio. One way to lower the O6s is to give up vegetable oils (seed oils used for cooking).

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Thanks, I am going to try to absorb everything in that link.

WOE - generally under 100g carb per day. I avoid rice, bread, pasta, and most fruit. I eat a lot of eggs and beef. I have a weakness for a good breakfast sandwich, so I do eat a white english muffin about once a week with processed sausage...I know this needs to stop!

I've been taking the statins until last week....I've had a lot of unexplained pain in my feet and blood glucose levels that have trended upwards, so I made a somewhat rash/uneducated decision to stop taking them. FYI my January A1C was 51, up from 37 in May 2018 and 46 in September 2018. Level at diagnosis in Jan 2018 was 83.

English muffin and processed sausage - do I detect a hint of USA?

Your cholesterol doesn't seem that high - mine runs much higher - but it is the ratios that are a bit out of balance.

Fats can raise your total cholesterol (for some people - for others it lowers) but in general it boosts the HDL which is the main aim.

If you have been advised to avoid fat and red meat then your dietary advice is contrary to much of what is offered here, although red meat isn't compulsory.

In general your diet doesn't look too bad and a breakfast sandwich once a week isn't that bad - as long as you can keep it to once a week.

You haven't mentioned weight (or lack of). One thing to be aware of is if you are losing weight (so living off your internal fat) this can skew your cholesterol results until your weight stabilises.

Personally I would avoid statins because I have had very bad side effects. You may be fine, but the recent view is that taking statins doesn't prolong your life and can cause muscle and joint problems (amongst other things).

 

[valuator]

Yes, North American....Canada! I've been making my morning smoothie earlier (frozen strawberries, unsweetened almond milk, vegan protein, and full fat greek yogurt) and thus I am feeling full when I leave the house and am no longer tempted to stop for a breakfast sandwich on my way to work.

My weight has been up and down, but the overall trend is down. Currently 204 pounds or 94 kg. I am 6 feet tall.

Statins - I am convinced they were causing me foot pain. I started having severed pain in the balls of my feet and in the joints of my big toes starting a few weeks after I started taking them back in May 2018. No doctor or physio could find a physical cause after examining my feet. I stopped the statins about 10 days ago and my feet now feel normal again, I can actually go for a long walk without pain and I am no longer relegated to the elliptical machine for exercise. Could be coincidence, or all in my head, but time will tell.

 

[bulkbiker]

I stopped the statins about 10 days ago and my feet now feel normal again, I can actually go for a long walk without pain and I am no longer relegated to the elliptical machine for exercise. Could be coincidence, or all in my head, but time will tell.

I doubt its in your head...

 

[jjraak]

Hi @valuator

Not prescribing what to do,
but by way of advice..here's how it went for me.

have the record of 5 blood tests going back to 2011
AND two of them... one early aug 2018 ...one late sept 2018..show how eating the prescribed way worked for me, before being officially declared T2D

at the first HBA1c 56..i ate as directed for 6 weeks..(a short time, admittedly)
but in the time, when i went for my 2nd HBA1c..Cholesterol, trigs, LDL and cholesterol ratio had gotten higher.
and HDL had gotten lower...and i moved up a notch to 57 HBA1c

At jan 2019 HBA1c 42...and all that had completely reversed.
my cholesterol / trigs / LDL / cholesterol ratio had all gone down, the HDL had gone up.
and EACH marker was better then the blood tests completed in 2011 when i wasn't T2D,
though i was encouraged to eat better ( Little did i know back then how wrong that would be )

So, yeah it is a concern, when placed on statins for a healthier heart
and when they tell you to eat more carefully.

hard choices indeed.

i took it all in and did a part of it.. to test the water and gradually my confidence rose
(i used a meter so i can see what eat item does to my BG levels) as the advice offered here panned out for me.
and it wasn't too long before i was opting for the LCHF way completely.

All i can say is my experience.
and for me, this WOE, with some sensible use of fats, has indeed worked..

i eat twice a day...each meal under 30g of carbs
often i only east the one meal and the other is more of a large snack,
so those days my carb intake is lower sub 50g .

The blood results show big improvements, and the scales show the weight loss required is happening on schedule.
near 17st in august..feb 27 13st 6lbs..

more then happy with progress.

Good luck choosing your way.

 

[Tophat1900]

You can use this calculator, just put your numbers in and it will give you the ratios. The HDL to triglyceride ratio is a real important one. Along with triglyceride itself.

http://www.hughcalc.org/chol-si.php

 

[valuator]

You can use this calculator, just put your numbers in and it will give you the ratios. The HDL to triglyceride ratio is a real important one. Along with triglyceride itself.

http://www.hughcalc.org/chol-si.php

Thanks, that's very helpful.

I think the key is to get my HDL increased ASAP.

 

[Tophat1900]

Thanks, that's very helpful.

I think the key is to get my HDL increased ASAP.

If you want to read about cholesterol or listen to his podcasts and videos and all that jazz, you can take a look at the link below. He's an expert who delves right into it. Lots of info, all relevant. He exaplains what is important and what isn't. Most doctors could learn a lot from this guy. He's a bio engineer who goes through the data and looks at the numbers, evidence etc. Unlike most doctors who look at reference ranges only.

https://www.thefatemperor.com/blog/

 

[valuator]

I just wanted to revive this thread with an update, and I am unfortunately as confused as ever.

May 2019 - Total cholesterol 7.37, LDL 3.93, HDL 0.88, triclycerides 5.55, non-HDL 6.49, A1C 53
Oct 2019 - Total cholesterol 4.63, LDL 2.39, HDL 0.92, triclycerides 2.90, non-HDL 3.71, A1C 61

Totally fell off the bandwagon in terms of food between Jan and May 2019....stress in all aspects of my life and rather than cook different meals for myself and family, I ended up eating rice/pasta/potatoes far too frequently as well as grabbing fast food lunches.

I complied with the doctor's wishes and went back on statins in the summer.....numbers were much better in Oct and but still hadn't changed my diet much (as evidenced by my A1C).

This last A1C was a wake-up call....I've lost 10 pounds in Nov/Dec going strictly low carb and wearing a Libre, which provides reinforcement of what and what not to eat. I'm also on Trajenta to help lower blood glucose but my doctor is optimistic that it will be short term. He's pretty firm on taking the statins though.

I'd go off statins again if I was confident that the LCHF diet won't inflate my cholesterol numbers?

So confused....I don't feel like I'm an idiot, but information is so conflicting that it's very difficult to know the correct course of action!

 

[bulkbiker]

I'd go off statins again if I was confident that the LCHF diet won't inflate my cholesterol numbers?

I suggest you go back to the thread I linked when you first posted and remind yourself about cholesterol.

Your low HDL and high trigs were likely caused by what you were eating before the blood test. Reduce carbs dramatically and you blood numbers will improve as will your HbA1c.

 

[valuator]

Just to update, I've spent the past couple of weeks reading the cholesterol thread. Thank you so much @bulkbiker, it really put me on the right track in terms of the science. I've watched the youtube videos, and I've been listening to podcats from Diet Doctor, Peter Attia, etc on my nightly walks.

I stopped taking the statins (on my own) and Trajenta (advice from doctor)....with only minimal negative impact on my blood glucose readings overall. Screw the cholesterol numbers.

I've been wearing a Libre for the past 6 weeks and really been tracking the impact of what I've been eating. With the nightly walk, I've now lost 15 pounds since October 29th (keeping track daily with HappyScale).

Only issue now is trying to get enough fat into my diet to replace carbs....I'm always hungry....

A1C set for the end of January, Libre is suggesting an estimate of 44 at the moment. It will be interesting to see the cholesterol numbers and my doctor's reaction to them and the lack of statins.