Better HbA1c, but now high cholesterol

First things first. Did they have a full breakdown of your cholesterol?
Triglycerides, LDL and HDL. The overall number is now thought to be completely meaningless so it's pretty pointless looking at it. To prescribe medication based on it is, in my opinion and those of quite a few cardiologists, bordering on malpractice.

Mine went up initially. If you are lowering weight you are 'eating' your fat. It enters the bloodstream, hence cholesterol goes up!
Mine has come down since, to 5.8 I am not concerned, they can bleat statins all they like, 5.8 IS NOT high

I’ve had a similar problem with my cholesterol numbers deteriorating on a low carb diet. I’ve had three reviews with my GP since diagnosis, the first two of which Statins were mentioned and after a decent discussion my GP he said that he’d give it til the next review. I said I was reluctant to take them for three reasons 1) the nasty side effects that don’t always go when you stop them 2) cholesterol numbers can deteriorate if you lose a lot of weight which I had, and 3) Statins raise blood sugars! I don’t want to undo all the work I’ve done treating an actual problem by treating a potential problem. The third review the nurse had left the cholesterol request off the bloods request so I got a reprieve! Since the second review I’ve been taking Vitamin B complex and Benecol drinks to see if they’ll help. I’m also going to fast before my next blood test as some people say the figures will be more accurate, even though my Dr said fasting doesn’t matter. I’m hoping that the numbers will have improved a little, enough to give me reason to decline Statins once more.

Well done on your HbA1c. That is a nice drop.

I agree with @bulkbiker

You need the full breakdown of your cholesterol before making any decisions. Your 6.1 is the total of the good and the not so good. If the good is high, the total will also be high. Do ask for theses details - HDL/LDL/Triglycerides. I also have to ask if you fasted for this test. If you didn't fast your triglycerides will have been higher than normal and this will also have affected the total.

I like the phrase "They like diabetics to be about 4" This is a number plucked out of the air with no scientific basis. It is the HDL and triglycerides that matter most.

You can ask for a print out of your test results - they are all important and this includes not only glucose and cholesterol but also liver and kidney functions. You need these for future reference so you can keep an eye on whether you are improving or deteriorating. A doctor or nurse will brush them off with a "they are fine" but that is their opinion. Yours may be different. If you are in England your surgery should have put test results on line, so you could also ask how to register for this facility. The surgery receptionist can help with the print out and on-line registration.

I would advise that you get your full lipid panel results then do your own research on cholesterol. My Total Cholesterol is far higher than yours (or it was at my last review) and it is all that my new GP is interested in, not my A1c and not any of the other health conditions I have. I do not take a statin and I refuse to be bullied/nagged into taking a prescription that I would not have filled. If that earns me the label of 'non compliant' then so be it.

Jac25 said:

So, has anyone else run into this problem?

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My total cholesterol increased when I added cheese and real yogurt to my LCLF diet. In fact it went from 4 to 5.7 in three months, one was an NHS test and one private, hence only three months apart (annual is my usual NHS test). I don't have a breakdown handy but if my HDL had been higher than my LDL they would have said something. My wife's TC is above 6 but her HDL (hope I have that right) is so good in comparison to her LDL, her GP never even mentions statins.

I know exactly what you mean. All of my diabetes related results are good but my cholesterol is 7.2 (HDL 2.7, trigs 0.5, LDL...well....sigh. I have read all of the advice on this forum (thanks Bulkbiker) and have made a decision that for now at least, I won't go on statins. I don't give a monkeys whether they approve or not and I certainly won't be pressured into making excuses every time I see them or trying to fudge the figures. Yes, I would love to get the LDL down (but total under 4????, as if!!!) but if it ain't going down whilst I am following a text book (fairly low carb of 60 a day and an ounce of cheese a day and running 5 miles a day), well then that must be MY physiological make up.

Rachox said:

I’ve had a similar problem with my cholesterol numbers deteriorating on a low carb diet. I’ve had three reviews with my GP since diagnosis, the first two of which Statins were mentioned and after a decent discussion my GP he said that he’d give it til the next review. I said I was reluctant to take them for three reasons 1) the nasty side effects that don’t always go when you stop them 2) cholesterol numbers can deteriorate if you lose a lot of weight which I had, and 3) Statins raise blood sugars! I don’t want to undo all the work I’ve done treating an actual problem by treating a potential problem. The third review the nurse had left the cholesterol request off the bloods request so I got a reprieve! Since the second review I’ve been taking Vitamin B complex and Benecol drinks to see if they’ll help. I’m also going to fast before my next blood test as some people say the figures will be more accurate, even though my Dr said fasting doesn’t matter. I’m hoping that the numbers will have improved a little, enough to give me reason to decline Statins once more.

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Don't forget it's your body, your health, no one can force drugs on you.

Rachox said:

I’ve had a similar problem with my cholesterol numbers deteriorating on a low carb diet. I’ve had three reviews with my GP since diagnosis, the first two of which Statins were mentioned and after a decent discussion my GP he said that he’d give it til the next review. I said I was reluctant to take them for three reasons 1) the nasty side effects that don’t always go when you stop them 2) cholesterol numbers can deteriorate if you lose a lot of weight which I had, and 3) Statins raise blood sugars! I don’t want to undo all the work I’ve done treating an actual problem by treating a potential problem. The third review the nurse had left the cholesterol request off the bloods request so I got a reprieve! Since the second review I’ve been taking Vitamin B complex and Benecol drinks to see if they’ll help. I’m also going to fast before my next blood test as some people say the figures will be more accurate, even though my Dr said fasting doesn’t matter. I’m hoping that the numbers will have improved a little, enough to give me reason to decline Statins once more.

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My understanding is that fasting may well give you a lower triglyceride result, as that test reflects the fat you may have eaten in the previous hours. A lower trig reading would be good ammunition for you, as this is one of the cholesterol components that really matter. It also contributes to total cholesterol, so it's a bit daft of your doctor to say it doesn't matter. (My GP also told me it is no longer necessary to fast, but when I saw that my trigs were higher than they had ever been, I chose to fast for subsequent tests, and sure enough my trigs went down, though not enough to give me a respectable total.)

Jac25 said:

Many thanks everyone, you've told me a load I didn't know. I'll do as suggested and ask for a full printout - they didn't give me the breakdown of LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. I can't remember if I had anything to eat before the blood test - damned M.E. causes memory problems and one day is much the same as another. However I often don't eat in the morning, and it was a mid morning test, so it's possible I didn't. I would have had a drink of water at least, probably a cup of tea with full fat milk, because nurses have complained when I don't as it's hard to get blood out of me when I'm fully hydrated, near impossible when I'm not.
In the meantime, I'll reduce the cheese. I was probably in danger of turning into a mouse as it had become my go to snack with nuts. Better stick to the nuts...

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I think fasting is supposed to mean a full 8 hours minimum with no intake except water.

Alexandra100 said:

My understanding is that fasting may well give you a lower triglyceride result, as that test reflects the fat you may have eaten in the previous hours. A lower trig reading would be good ammunition for you, as this is one of the cholesterol components that really matter. It also contributes to total cholesterol, so it's a bit daft of your doctor to say it doesn't matter. (My GP also told me it is no longer necessary to fast, but when I saw that my trigs were higher than they had ever been, I chose to fast for subsequent tests, and sure enough my trigs went down, though not enough to give me a respectable total.)

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Alexandra100 said:

I think fasting is supposed to mean a full 8 hours minimum with no intake except water.

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That’s what I’ve read @Alexandra and as I had the Diet Dr low carb coconut porridge for breakfast before my last test, which is made with butter, coconut oil, egg and coconut flour amongst other things which are fatty, I think my triglycerides were skewed.

Posted this link about a week ago. It's worth a watch as it shows how easy it is to manipulate results:

Rachox said:

That’s what I’ve read @Alexandra and as I had the Diet Dr low carb coconut porridge for breakfast before my last test, which is made with butter, coconut oil, egg and coconut flour amongst other things which are fatty, I think my triglycerides were skewed.

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There is a separate range for trigs that are not fasting.
Fasting under 1.9
Non-fasting under 2.3

So even some of the powers that be understand they can be skewed - and it will be fats that cause it.

Bluetit1802 said:

There is a separate range for trigs that are not fasting.
Fasting under 1.9
Non-fasting under 2.3

So even some of the powers that be understand they can be skewed - and it will be fats that cause it.

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Haha, I just checked my last trig reading which was in Sept. Unfasting it was 1.89 so just squeezes into the good for fasting!
My HDL is virtually the same for last three tests, it’s my LDL that has crept up since low carbing. It was 2.4 on diagnosis but 3.7 in Sept

Rachox said:

Haha, I just checked my last trig reading which was in Sept. Unfasting it was 1.89 so just squeezes into the good for fasting!
My HDL is virtually the same for last three tests, it’s my LDL that has crept up since low carbing. It was 2.4 on diagnosis but 3.7 in Sept

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My LDL went up on my last 2 tests. It dropped steadily since diagnosis in 2014, test on test, then suddenly last June it shot up and in November went up a bit again. It is now 3.6, the highest it has been since diagnosis. I have no idea why it should suddenly happen after all this time. There have been no dietary changes. I am not at all concerned and even my DN told me it would be mostly "the big lorries" as she called it, meaning the big fluffy particles that cause no harm - because my trigs are low. (she had been on a cholesterol training session!)

First, cholesterol is not the problem they make it out to be. Cholesterol makes up 25pc of your brain, and it is needed to make the lining for every cell in your body. When your cholesterol goes up, it is repairing any damage that has been caused. by the permanent onslought of free radicals and oxidation going on in your body. It repairs the tears made by these on your veins. Statins harm the cholesterol in your brain also, and stops yourself liver from producing the hormone called c o Q10, which is mainly used by your heart to keep it strong and healthy. Statins are a very harmful substances, no use at all except for the pharma industry to make millions from you. Search for John McDougall MD Latest scams from the. Diabetics industry. Feb 10-12 2017. (blue curtain behind) He has many conferences, and is a world respected Doctor. Diabetes is NOT a disease, but your bodies natural defence of getting too fat.. once you lose enough weight to get to get to what he calls your tipping point, your pancreas will return to normal. You will have reversed your diabetes. I have been diabetic for 14 years, as was my husband. All the drugs he was on for diabetes, high blood pressure, painkillers caused liver cancer, which spread throughout his body, I have done much research since his death, and took myself off all medication and now use only Syntra 5 and berberine, natural with NO side affects. I am now nearing my tipping point, my blood pressure at my recent check. was 133/81. Y docs wanted to put me on blood pressure pills 3months ago, I refused. I saw what they did to my husband. Do not take statins, they slowly kill you, increasing your risk of a heart attack. They are useless...

It is quite common to experience this when you move to a LC diet. I am basing that on what I have seen on this forum many times, my own experience and other forums on Facebook and the like, e.g. Typeonegrit.

My LDL increased substantially, but so too did the "Good" cholesterol HDL and TG reduced to a very low level. So far refused statins. I did reduce the saturated fat somewhat in the diet and that definitely brought the LDL down on subsequent tests, but not enough for it to be considered a normal number. Right or wrong, I am just concerned with controlling my blood sugar for now and not too concerned about the Cholesterol.