Interesting times on LCHF

[LittleGreyCat]

Just had my latest set of test results.

First the good news. My HbA1c is 5.8 which is a personal best and nicely within the non-diabetic range. 3 months ago it was 7.7.

Serum lipids were 7.95 down from 8.35
LDL was up from 5.27 to 5.51
HDL was up from 1.73 to 1.78
Triglycerides were down to 1.44 from 3.03
Ratio was down to 4.47 from 4.85

This was a fasting test; 15:10 and nothing but water since the previous evening.

So my cholesterol apart from the triglycerides is way above the normal range and my LDL is breaking new records.

I now have an interesting problem.
My LCHF diet has sorted out my BG quite nicely, thank you, but my blood cholesterol is running higher than normal.

I will obviously be under pressure from the surgery to go on statins (despite the increased risk of causing T2 Diabetes) and I need to understand my options.

I do have a lot of dairy - start the day with coffee, butter, cream so I may need to rethink the high fat part of my diet.

I am searching for information and already have the suggestion of getting a full LDL profile.

Out of time for this post.
Suggestions and advice welcome.

 

[ickihun]

I stopped nuts, cheese and cream resulting in a loss of 7kgs. Some of us don't need extra fat just not strict very low fat.

 

[wiseowl_123]

Good morning @LittleGreyCat my friend yes I have the same question,my HbA1c 90 day assessment (6 months) is on Thursday at 8.30am and concerned about my cholesterol rising

 

[Jo123]

Well done on the hba1c.
My ldl and triglycerides went up when I first low carbed.
I sorted it by drastically reducing my saturated fats.
I instead went for oily fish, avocados, extra Virgin olive oil and nuts.
This sorted the problem.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Well done with the HbA1c. That is excellent.

I see from your signature you were on statins in the past. Do you have your cholesterol details from the period you were on statins, and what were the levels?

As your cholesterol and lipids are high, have you considered taking a statin on a temporary basis, say for 2 months, and see what happens?

Other than that, maybe drop some of the saturated dairy fats and concentrate more on oily fish and foods with high omega 3?

 

[Hiitsme]

Well done on your HbA1c result. As others have said try to go for the good fats such as oily fish, and avocados.

 

[zand]

The decision on whether to take statins or not is a personal one, so I will tell you my opinion, which isn't necessarily the right one for you.

I would be happy with those cholesterol levels. My own have been in the 7s for total cholesterol before and I refused statins then and will continue to do so if they ever go that high again. My own 'good' HDL level was alot lower than yours, so my 'bad cholesterol' was alot worse. Your trigs figure has come down very well, and that's really the most important one. I found LCHF helped improve all of my cholesterol figures eventually.

If I were you I would cut down on the fats, ( particularly dairy as some people find this does raise their 'bad' cholesterol) and see what that does to your next set of figures. There isn't much clinical evidence that statins are useful to stay healthy unless you have previously had a heart attack, or come from a high risk family.

Statins are known to cause muscle problems in some people. The heart is a muscle too and I don't see the logic in taking statins to protect it when they are known to cause weakness in other muscles in some people.

I take the view that cholesterol is naturally produced by the body as a response to inflammation so if we have a higher level then that is what we need. I personally would never want my own TC to be below 4.00, which is what the NHS like to see for diabetics, as this is far too low - just my opinion based on reading Dr Uffe Ravnskov - 'The Cholesterol Myths' and also info from Dr Malcolm Kendrick. Our TC levels tend to get higher as we age, because we need higher levels as we age.

So I would never take statins (but that is partly because I am a woman and there is no clinical evidence that they are useful for women at all) . We all have to form our own opinions on this controversial subject and now you know mine, but that's all they are - my personal opinions.

 

[Pinkorchid]

Well I know my doctor will not be pleased if my cholesterol had gone up yet again at my next HbA1c hopefully it will not as I have cut down on the fat so no more cream butter or red meats which I do not like anyway I stick to avocados olive oil and lower fat dairy. High fat just does not suit all of us

 

[zand]

Well I know my doctor will not be pleased if my cholesterol had gone up yet again at my next HbA1c hopefully it will not as I have cut down on the fat so no more cream butter or red meats which I do not like anyway I stick to avocados olive oil and lower fat dairy. High fat just does not suit all of us

Around 80% of our TC is made by the body, only 20% ish comes from diet. Also our doctors are not the ones responsible for our health, that's down to us to make our own decisions after listening to the doctors and finding out more info elsewhere. Our doctors here in UK can only follow the instructions they are given by the NHS policy makers. I don't mind if my doctor isn't pleased with my decisions, they are my decisions and it's my health. After I had refused statins (for the 3rd time) I asked my GP if he would take statins himself and the answer was 'No'

Edit: The Dr is there to help/serve me, it isn't my job to please him, it's his job to allow me to follow my choice for the sake of my own health.

 

[ickihun]

The decision on whether to take statins or not is a personal one, so I will tell you my opinion, which isn't necessarily the right one for you.

I would be happy with those cholesterol levels. My own have been in the 7s for total cholesterol before and I refused statins then and will continue to do so if they ever go that high again. My own 'good' HDL level was alot lower than yours, so my 'bad cholesterol' was alot worse. Your trigs figure has come down very well, and that's really the most important one. I found LCHF helped improve all of my cholesterol figures eventually.

If I were you I would cut down on the fats, ( particularly dairy as some people find this does raise their 'bad' cholesterol) and see what that does to your next set of figures. There isn't much clinical evidence that statins are useful to stay healthy unless you have previously had a heart attack, or come from a high risk family.

Statins are known to cause muscle problems in some people. The heart is a muscle too and I don't see the logic in taking statins to protect it when they are known to cause weakness in other muscles in some people.

I take the view that cholesterol is naturally produced by the body as a response to inflammation so if we have a higher level then that is what we need. I personally would never want my own TC to be below 4.00, which is what the NHS like to see for diabetics, as this is far too low - just my opinion based on reading Dr Uffe Ravnskov - 'The Cholesterol Myths' and also info from Dr Malcolm Kendrick. Our TC levels tend to get higher as we age, because we need higher levels as we age.

So I would never take statins (but that is partly because I am a woman and there is no clinical evidence that they are useful for women at all) . We all have to form our own opinions on this controversial subject and now you know mine, but that's all they are - my personal opinions.

Evidence now inconclusive regarging taking satins after a heart attack. No real evidence to proof beneficial hun.
I've had 3 scares and no mention of statin must be taken by cardiologists. Mind u my total cholesterol is 3.9-4.4 steadily. Calcium score is only 19 too. Never took statins.

 

[sally and james]

The Dr is there to help/serve me, it isn't my job to please him

If I could "Agree" several times on this forum, I would have done! As there is no button for double agreement, this post will have to do.
Sally

 

[Avocado Sevenfold]

If I could "Agree" several times on this forum, I would have done! As there is no button for double agreement, this post will have to do.
Sally

I agree with Sally's agreement.

@LittleGreyCat well done on your improved hba1c. No advice on cholesterol from me. I don't eat any, but that doesn't matter apparently. You couldn't pay me enough to take statins, but it is up to the individual. By the way, your status is showing to me as T2 insulin dependant. You might want to change that in your settings.

 

[Art Of Flowers]

You should avoid statins unless you have actually had a heart attack. The benefits are minimal and the risks of side effects are severe. They raise your blood sugar, so not good for diabetics. There is no significant decrease in all cause mortality from taking statins.

 

[Chook]

I've got the exact same problem in respect to HbA1C going down and cholesterol going up. I declined statins as I've heard so many things bad things about them but think I may have to reduce so much high fat dairy. Not sure about reducing nuts though - not that I eat lots of them - I thought they were some of the good guys?

 

[Oldvatr]

@LittleG Hi.
The LDL in our bodies is the blood transport system for fat lipids. So, increased fat intake leads eventually to a rise in LDL since there are more lipids to get to where they are needed. If you are running your LCHF in keto (fat burning) mode then these extra LDL packets will be used up and hoovered up as empties by the hdl. If you are not actually in keto mode, then the excess LDL will be captured by the gall bladder and chucked overboad by the normal process as bile. It may be that the gall bladder is not quite up to speed, and is overwhelmed by the extra LDL, So reducing high sat fats (i,e, most dairy) and / or adding exercise while keto should reduce LDL and TC readings. The other route for unwanted lipids is as fat stored around the vital organs, but this needs insulin to happen: if your insulin is low then fat either has to be burnt off or reduced The whole idea of a keto diet is to burn more fat than is actually in the blood stream, thus forcing the body to take fat out of the fat stores hence losing weight and midriff inches. But if you take too much from the store then the body starts to devour muscle tissue instead of fat stores, which is why LCHF in keto mode needs to up the fat intake so as to prevent this canibalism. No keto - then normal fat. You control of this.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Well done with the HbA1c. That is excellent.

I see from your signature you were on statins in the past. Do you have your cholesterol details from the period you were on statins, and what were the levels?

As your cholesterol and lipids are high, have you considered taking a statin on a temporary basis, say for 2 months, and see what happens?

Other than that, maybe drop some of the saturated dairy fats and concentrate more on oily fish and foods with high omega 3?

When I was on stations my cholesterol was much lower.
However I had major side effects which have strongly prejudiced me against taking stations.

My main issue is working out if the high cholesterol is bad for me.

I am running on fats so I could expect more fats in the blood stream and my weight is stable at about 12 stone so I wonder what the indications of future problems would be.

B!old pressure monitoring seems sensible.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

I agree with Sally's agreement.

@LittleGreyCat (snip) By the way, your status is showing to me as T2 insulin dependant. You might want to change that in your settings.

I would change it if I could find out where it was set.

My personal profile shows me as T2 on tablets.

 

[Oldvatr]

I would change it if I could find out where it was set.

My personal profile shows me as T2 on tablets.

I see T2 insulin dependant too. If you click on your avatar in the main menu page, then select the Information tab it will open up your current settings, and allow you to change and save.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

I see T2 insulin dependant too. If you click on your avatar in the main menu page, then select the Information tab it will open up your current settings, and allow you to change and save.

I think I am seeing a different interface.

I am using a web browser on an Android tablet.

I assume you are clicking on my Avatar to see this information? I will investigate on a Windows system.

Edit: just changed my medication to "other". Does this show?

 

[Richram]

Have you seen the thread high cholesterol on the LCHF? The videos explains some science why lowering your trigs increases you're total, LDL and HDl and this is normal. Most GP won't know this level of detail never mind hospital consultants