Cholesterol help

Frodmella

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I have no idea whether this is the right place but want to share my news with you. I was diagnosed as type 2 diabetes sufferer in July 213 after medical routine check up. I was over weight and had HBA1c of 48 mmol/mol. After trying to lose weight following the advised Expert programme and failing, my HBA1C rose to 67mmol/mol in February 2015. I was then put on an increased dose of 1500mg of metformin. At this point I started to do my own research. In May 2015 I started a low carb high fat diet using the new atkins diet as a basis and learning rapidly through research and reading everything I could.after 2 weeks I went to see my doctor to tell her what I was doing my HBA1c was 50mmol/mol at that stage. She was sceptical about the fad diet .

That was 8 months ago. I have since lost 47lb in weight and need to lose another 7lb to achieve a BMI of 25. I have just had my blood results done and they are as follows:

hbA1c 37mmol/l ( no longer using metformin)
c reactive protein <1 mg/l
serum ALT level 20 iu/l previously 33

all liver and kidney tests normal, all bone profile tests normal.

Cholesterol 8.1mmol/l, previously 6.2
HDL 1.1 mmol/l , previously 0.9

I am obviously delighted about the HbA1c results, and feel great about the weight loss. My husband has similarly lost about 52lb eating a LCHF diet and also feels great. He has never been diagnosed as diabetic but did have high blood pressure and other signs of metabolic syndrome.

So the problem is the Cholesterol. I am due to see my doctor next week and she is not enlightened about low carb and diabetes and is the practises expert in Diabetes. I know that she will focus on the high cholesterol and will want to put me on statins.

Can I expect my cholesterol levels to continue to rise whilst I am following the LCHF lifestyle?I do not want to change as it works really well for us. we do eat butter and fatty meat and cheese and cream and bacon, but also lots of spinach and cabbage and cauliflower and courgettes and olive oil.

Any thoughts from those who have been doing this longer than me
 

AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,321
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I have no idea whether this is the right place but want to share my news with you. I was diagnosed as type 2 diabetes sufferer in July 213 after medical routine check up. I was over weight and had HBA1c of 48 mmol/mol. After trying to lose weight following the advised Expert programme and failing, my HBA1C rose to 67mmol/mol in February 2015. I was then put on an increased dose of 1500mg of metformin. At this point I started to do my own research. In May 2015 I started a low carb high fat diet using the new atkins diet as a basis and learning rapidly through research and reading everything I could.after 2 weeks I went to see my doctor to tell her what I was doing my HBA1c was 50mmol/mol at that stage. She was sceptical about the fad diet .

That was 8 months ago. I have since lost 47lb in weight and need to lose another 7lb to achieve a BMI of 25. I have just had my blood results done and they are as follows:

hbA1c 37mmol/l ( no longer using metformin)
c reactive protein <1 mg/l
serum ALT level 20 iu/l previously 33

all liver and kidney tests normal, all bone profile tests normal.

Cholesterol 8.1mmol/l, previously 6.2
HDL 1.1 mmol/l , previously 0.9

I am obviously delighted about the HbA1c results, and feel great about the weight loss. My husband has similarly lost about 52lb eating a LCHF diet and also feels great. He has never been diagnosed as diabetic but did have high blood pressure and other signs of metabolic syndrome.

So the problem is the Cholesterol. I am due to see my doctor next week and she is not enlightened about low carb and diabetes and is the practises expert in Diabetes. I know that she will focus on the high cholesterol and will want to put me on statins.

Can I expect my cholesterol levels to continue to rise whilst I am following the LCHF lifestyle?I do not want to change as it works really well for us. we do eat butter and fatty meat and cheese and cream and bacon, but also lots of spinach and cabbage and cauliflower and courgettes and olive oil.

Any thoughts from those who have been doing this longer than me

Most people find their cholesterol moderates on LCHF, although there can be an initial period where it rises. Like all things diabetes, everyone is different in how they react.

Very well done on the HbA1c, you must be utterly delighted!

As for your cholesterol, you really need to know and understand the breakdown of the components. So, that's be Total, HDL, LDL and Triglycerides. The components are really what matters. That they can sometimes add up to an inconvenient number can be just that - inconvenient.

I'm not necessarily suggesting that's where you are in this, but it's important to get that breakdown. If you have it, someone will help you interpret it. If you don't, the ask for it, before you see the Doc.

In the meantime, you could also watch this YouTube video:

I'm a big fan of Professor Sikaris. He manages to distil very complex messages into terms I can understand anyway. There are several other LCHF "experts" who have videos on YouTube. You'll find lots of information on there to keep you out of mischief for a while! ;)

Good luck with it all, but do let us know about your breakdown.
 
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Frodmella

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Most people find their cholesterol moderates on LCHF, although there can be an initial period where it rises. Like all things diabetes, everyone is different in how they react.

Very well done on the HbA1c, you must be utterly delighted!

As for your cholesterol, you really need to know and understand the breakdown of the components. So, that's be Total, HDL, LDL and Triglycerides. The components are really what matters. That they can sometimes add up to an inconvenient number can be just that - inconvenient.

I'm not necessarily suggesting that's where you are in this, but it's important to get that breakdown. If you have it, someone will help you interpret it. If you don't, the ask for it, before you see the Doc.

In the meantime, you could also watch this YouTube video:

I'm a big fan of Professor Sikaris. He manages to distil very complex messages into terms I can understand anyway. There are several other LCHF "experts" who have videos on YouTube. You'll find lots of information on there to keep you out of mischief for a while! ;)

Good luck with it all, but do let us know about your breakdown.
 

Frodmella

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Most people find their cholesterol moderates on LCHF, although there can be an initial period where it rises. Like all things diabetes, everyone is different in how they react.

Very well done on the HbA1c, you must be utterly delighted!

As for your cholesterol, you really need to know and understand the breakdown of the components. So, that's be Total, HDL, LDL and Triglycerides. The components are really what matters. That they can sometimes add up to an inconvenient number can be just that - inconvenient.

I'm not necessarily suggesting that's where you are in this, but it's important to get that breakdown. If you have it, someone will help you interpret it. If you don't, the ask for it, before you see the Doc.

In the meantime, you could also watch this YouTube video:

I'm a big fan of Professor Sikaris. He manages to distil very complex messages into terms I can understand anyway. There are several other LCHF "experts" who have videos on YouTube. You'll find lots of information on there to keep you out of mischief for a while! ;)

Good luck with it all, but do let us know about your breakdown.
Thanks AndBreathe, I only have the total Cholesterol and HDL, as mentioned in my post above. This was a full annual checkup blood panel for my practise and they didn't even do triglycerides. My HDL has always been very low historically and I have had raised triglycerides in the past, but only know this from tests done as part of private screening tests from my employer, which I don't get now.They won't do further blood tests. i just get them once a year!!!

My HDL has moved up to 1.1 but my total cholesterol is 8.1, so I am assuming its the LDL that has really gone up. They probably wont be aware of different LDL types as they weren't aware of using Low carb as a means of controlling/reversing diabetes. I was just told its a chronic degerating disease with no cure and I'll end up on insulin. Even patients who have lost 10 stone have been told that they cannot overturn their diabetes. I have researched as much as I possibly can but although I am well educated in Science and so can understand a lot of the science in the research, I am not a medical professional and so am not taken seriously by my GP. i had heard that Cholesterol can stabilise on LCHF but didnt know over what period.

And yes I am absolutely delighted with the other blood results and feel better than ever.

We do have heart disease in the family and so i think that I will be put under enormous pressure to take statins.
 

Totto

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,831
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I have seen mentioned by others who have lost a lot of weight on LCHF that their cholesterol goes up for a while but then normalises. You could wait and see and read up on it in the meanwhile. As fas as I've heard there isn't really any hard evidence for the benefit of statins in women.
 
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AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,321
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks AndBreathe, I only have the total Cholesterol and HDL, as mentioned in my post above. This was a full annual checkup blood panel for my practise and they didn't even do triglycerides. My HDL has always been very low historically and I have had raised triglycerides in the past, but only know this from tests done as part of private screening tests from my employer, which I don't get now.They won't do further blood tests. i just get them once a year!!!

My HDL has moved up to 1.1 but my total cholesterol is 8.1, so I am assuming its the LDL that has really gone up. They probably wont be aware of different LDL types as they weren't aware of using Low carb as a means of controlling/reversing diabetes. I was just told its a chronic degerating disease with no cure and I'll end up on insulin. Even patients who have lost 10 stone have been told that they cannot overturn their diabetes. I have researched as much as I possibly can but although I am well educated in Science and so can understand a lot of the science in the research, I am not a medical professional and so am not taken seriously by my GP. i had heard that Cholesterol can stabilise on LCHF but didnt know over what period.

And yes I am absolutely delighted with the other blood results and feel better than ever.

We do have heart disease in the family and so i think that I will be put under enormous pressure to take statins.

In which case, really do do your reading, but if you have heart disease in the family - particularly if relatives have had heart attacks at younger ages, it could make sense to have you tested for familial hypercholesterolaemia as a matter of course.

My cholesterol adds up to an inconvenient number, but over time, I have shared much of my reading and watching with my usual GP who initially told me I understood it better than she did. I think she may have had a point. ;) I started a thread, if I recall several months ago. I think I titled it something like "Anything else I should ask?"

Enjoy Professor Sikaris. :)
 

Winnie53

BANNED
Messages
2,374
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
On the LCHF diet, cholesterol and LDL can go up during active weight loss. You won't know where you are until your weight is stable for a while.

My LDL went up the first 6 months with each quarterly check. After that, I decided to stop eating cheese for two months and I had a dramatic drop in LDL, but interestingly, my Cholesterol, Triglycerides, and HDL dropped too. So while I continue to eat butter from grass-fed cows, I've added some cheese back into my diet to help get my HDL back up.

The Sikaris lecture linked above is excellent. I periodically watch it because I learn something new each time.

I'm amazed by what you've achieved. Your weight loss, A1c, improvements in liver and kidney function, and CRP are great. You've made a tremendous amount of progress!

For many of us, type 2 diabetes is only progressive if we continue to eat too many carbohydrates. All of my lab tests have significantly improved over the last year.

The LCHF diet was first described in the mid 1800's, and has been used for decades to treat seizure disorders that are unresponsive to medication. Dr. Robert Atkins, M.D., who popularized the diet in the early 70's, didn't create the diet. He gleaned information on the diet from the medical literature, then tried it on his patients. He got such great results, he continued promoting and teaching the diet until he died in an accident - (he slipped on ice while walking, hit his head, went into a coma and died in the hospital two weeks later).

Eric Westman, M.D., inspired by the results his obese patients were achieving with the diet, contacted and met with Dr. Atkins and others who were using the diet with their patients, then he and others went onto design and impliment research on the diet and published the results. He is a bariatric doctor specialized in helping obese patients lose weight, and has used the diet for almost 20 years now with his patients.

This diet doesn't work for everyone, but researchers Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney believes it works well for most people, particularly those who have type 2 diabetes.

I thought this was a fad diet a year ago too, and was terrified I was harming myself the first 9 months. But my lab tests proved otherwise. And as I continued to learn more about it, I found out that it has a long, successful history.

Let us know what happens with your Cholesterol after your weight loss has stopped for a few months. :)
 
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Kristin251

Expert
Messages
5,334
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I need to eat a high fat diet but lower saturated fat or my LDL is crazy. Ratios always good but I use more plant fats like avocado, nuts, olives , evoo for fats now. Just something to consider...
 
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Tirianne

Well-Known Member
Messages
136
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
A very interesting thread -thanks everyone.

I was diagnosed type 2 in June last year and am just 2 pounds away from losimg 3 stone and my HbA1c has gone down in stages from 81 to 53 and the latest result is 46. I was told it was unlikely to fall any lower , (hoping to prove them wrong on that one) and I'm on 500mg of Metformin.
I'm following the LCHF diet and have seen a slight dip and now a slight rise in my Cholesterol levels and am wondering if this is down to the diet (I have been eating a lot of cheese and full fat greek yogurt + double cream at Christmas!!) or the fact I'm losing weight with 2 more stones to go. I'm seeing my GP in 2 weeks time and statins have been mentioned.... but I really don't want to go down that route and want to try and get the levels down with any other changes I can discover - so any thoughts most welcome!!

June 2105 - Cholesterol 4.7, HDL 1.5, LDL 2.4, Triglyceride 1.7
Nov 2015 - Cholesterol 4.4, HDL 1.6, LDL 2.2, Triglyceride 1.2
Jan 2016 - Cholesterol 4.9, HDL 1.9, LDL 2.5, Triglyceride 1.7
 

andcol

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Retired Moderator
Messages
3,176
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
A very interesting thread -thanks everyone.

I was diagnosed type 2 in June last year and am just 2 pounds away from losimg 3 stone and my HbA1c has gone down in stages from 81 to 53 and the latest result is 46. I was told it was unlikely to fall any lower , (hoping to prove them wrong on that one) and I'm on 500mg of Metformin.
I'm following the LCHF diet and have seen a slight dip and now a slight rise in my Cholesterol levels and am wondering if this is down to the diet (I have been eating a lot of cheese and full fat greek yogurt + double cream at Christmas!!) or the fact I'm losing weight with 2 more stones to go. I'm seeing my GP in 2 weeks time and statins have been mentioned.... but I really don't want to go down that route and want to try and get the levels down with any other changes I can discover - so any thoughts most welcome!!

June 2105 - Cholesterol 4.7, HDL 1.5, LDL 2.4, Triglyceride 1.7
Nov 2015 - Cholesterol 4.4, HDL 1.6, LDL 2.2, Triglyceride 1.2
Jan 2016 - Cholesterol 4.9, HDL 1.9, LDL 2.5, Triglyceride 1.7

I can't see why they would even consider statins with your cholesterol other than just to medicate you because they want to.... I will say your trigs are a little high so you need to get those down (these are caused by carb intake). Were these results taken after fasting or when eating normally as that can have a huge impact on trig levels.
 
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Tirianne

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136
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I can't see why they would even consider statins with your cholesterol other than just to medicate you because they want to.... I will say your trigs are a little high so you need to get those down (these are caused by carb intake). Were these results taken after fasting or when eating normally as that can have a huge impact on trig levels.
The results were after eating normally -not the fasting test. What should the trigs reading be normally? I've been watching my carbs really carefully after initial diagnosis following the Diane Kress recommended regime of under 20 per day for 3 months then gradually increasing to between 30-40 per day now - so although my daily BS is averaging 5.0 before meals and under 6.5 after. perhaps I need to cut down on carbs again ...? The other thing is that I can't get the fasting BS levels in the morning below 6.9 - is that significant? Any thoughts much appreciated.
 

andcol

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I reversed my Type 2
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trigs should be below 1.7 so you are there but the lower the better. Normally a low carb diet will lower your trigs but as this was a non-fasting test you will have higher levels so may be ok.

Have a look at dawn phenomenon this is likely the reason for the 6.9. There is some evidence that intermittent fasting will help with reducing it. Basically it helps to "reset" the liver.
 
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Winnie53

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Tirianne, in the member area of the Diet Doctor website - (first month is free) - there's six videos by Canadian nephrologist Jason Fung, M.D. on how to do fasting. More videos are coming. Once you're established on the low carb diet, fasting, particularly intermittent fasting, is reasonably easily done. :)
 
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Tirianne

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Messages
136
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Winnie53 and Andrew - Thanks so much for your helpful replies - I'll look at the Diet Doctor website this week. I suppose it takes time to adjust to what we need to do to manage all this - and I'm really grateful for the support and advice.
 

Frodmella

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I certainly found the intermittent fasting 2 or 3 days a week, skipping breakfast and lunch and eating a low carb evening meal sorted out my fasting blood sugar levels. It's not difficult to do when fully adjusted. I think that my high cholesterol may also be due to the fact that my test was done just after the Christmas break when I had not been strict my my low carb. I'm going to ask to be tested again in a couple of months now I am back on the low carb wagon seriously again.
 
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Tirianne

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Messages
136
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I certainly found the intermittent fasting 2 or 3 days a week, skipping breakfast and lunch and eating a low carb evening meal sorted out my fasting blood sugar levels. It's not difficult to do when fully adjusted. I think that my high cholesterol may also be due to the fact that my test was done just after the Christmas break when I had not been strict my my low carb. I'm going to ask to be tested again in a couple of months now I am back on the low carb wagon seriously again.
Thank you for sharing that -it's really helpful. I'm seeing my GP in 2 weeks to go through the latest blood results so as the last test was just after Christmas for me as well - I think another that another cholesterol test in 3 months (before the next HbA1c in July) would be useful - especially as I'm now watching my fat intake as well as carbs!!
ps - walked a mile today before lunch today and got the lowest pre-lunch reading for a while 4.6 :)
 

munday1932

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Messages
49
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
cold weather.People who criticize my town but don't help to make it better.Please can I go back to me user name which is Kentish maid
I have never had a lipid profile done it is not considered necessary in my practise I think it must cost more?.
 

Totto

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,831
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I have never had a lipid profile done it is not considered necessary in my practise I think it must cost more?.
Personally I think the total cholesterol test, without the breakdown numbers, is a waste of money.
 

GeoffersTaylor

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,084
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Not being able to like beer anymore!!
I'm in a similar position to the original poster... since diagnosis I've gone LCHF, lost weight, reduced HBA1C but have raised cholesterol. My HDLs and trigs are fine but my LDL is elevated. After talking with the GP I'm paying more attention to the sources of my fats... a bit more olive oil & fish and a bit less cream & cheese. We'll see how that works in the summer.

By the way, I think the original poster should consider a new GP.
 
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