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Cholesterol

W

Wanderer101

Member
Messages
8
Location
Telford
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all, I'm on the low carb diet and trying my best ! I am on Statins but am concerned that my Cholesterol may be going up. I have also been to 2 sessions at my Doctors Diabetes clinic, the advice is different from diabetes.co.uk to diabetes.org. uk. Just a bit confused by it all really. Will my Cholesterol go down on a low carb diet ?
 
Hiya and welcome,

This website completely (and sometimes puritanically) advocates the Low Carb approach and clearly it has worked for some you will see in here with some truly inspirational stories and results. As you are aware there are other views and approaches - which if you look elsewhere can also deliver good control, results and lifestyle ...... all of which makes it confusing. Even recently in here I have seen something as simple Tomatoes being told they are good ..... then they are bad.

Personally I see the need to be cautious and careful with Carbs recognising the effect they have on BG levels - and for me it is years of ignorantly abusing this that has put me where I am. I do however struggle to understand how eating fat long term is a good replacement given the propensity 'we' have for an increase risk in CV problems. I know (and fully expect) my comment here will be challenged - and probably heavily derided so stood by for the flak.

You need to weigh up the argument and do what is right for YOU.

For the record, both my hba1c and Cholesterol were high on being 'labelled' however 3 months on my hba1c is almost normal (still work to do) but my Cholesterol levels are ALL now normal - and well within thresholds! I have reduced significantly my Carb intake - but yes I DO still have them in moderation, but have also cut out all the fatty stuff - of every description ..... this has worked for ME, ..... but maybe different for you???

Helmet and body armour on!
 
As already said you will always find conflicting advice and what works for one will not suit another there is no right or wrong because there is no one diet to suit all we are all different Read about the advice here and on other web sites and what your diabetic clinic says then do what you think will be best for you that is all any of us can do.
I eat moderate carbs and good oils but I do low saturated fat I have raised cholesterol for which I take statins high fat does not suit me I tried it but that is just me.
 
@Wanderer101
Hi
I am having similar concerns. My Hba has seen a massive improvement going from 72 to 51 but my cholesterol has gone up to 7.6 on the Lchf diet. Prior to this I ate low fat and my cholesterol was around 4. I don't want to take a statin as I tried in the past and had terrible side effects. I am going to cut cream , butter and dairy down a bit but increase avocado and nut butter slightly. Then with fasting 3 days a week I'm hoping this will bring it down. Back in 3 months for retest.
 
I do VLC, moderate protein and average fat. I eat some at every meal but I certainly don't gob it. I eat low saturated fat and no dairy. My main fats are avocado ( some at all meals) olive oil or mayo based dressing for salad and some nuts and seeds. Also tuna and salmon often for the omega 3 s . No cream, cheese, fatty sausages, nothing processed, I do eat red meat but grass fed and small quantities.
 
@Kristin251

Oh you are so good kristin, I don't think I can go as low as vlc
I have done in the past but need to find something more sustainable for me. I am hoping with less dairy, more salmon, avocado and increased flax I may be able to get it down. I duno get one problem sorted and another appears! I believe whey powder good too for cholesterol. My nieces are all stick thin, eat sugar and carbs all day - so unfair lol.
 
debbiedoodles said:
@Kristin251

Oh you are so good kristin, I don't think I can go as low as vlc
I have done in the past but need to find something more sustainable for me. I am hoping with less dairy, more salmon, avocado and increased flax I may be able to get it down. I duno get one problem sorted and another appears! I believe whey powder good too for cholesterol. My nieces are all stick thin, eat sugar and carbs all day - so unfair lol.
Click to expand...
I just do what I have too. If you start incorporating avocado and flax you may find your hunger is much less.
Be careful with whey protein. It's known to spike bs. Maybe you will be able to have it though. I prefer to eat my protein since I have to moderate it and don't need any extra.
Carbs just make me crave more food. Sometimes to the point of ravenous.
Avocado has been a godsend for keeping my bs flat and satisfying me. I need some at all meals or I'm hungry in an hour even if low carb. My lipids were the best since I can remember after an avocado a day. Yay. Testing at 6 month check up Monday. Cross your fingers please.
 
My cholesterol went up when I first low carbed and ate very modest amounts of saturated fat. I brought it down by taking sterols and only eating 'healthy' fats, nuts, fish, avos, extra Virgin Olive oil etc.
Very frustrating I love cheese, cream etc.!!
 
We have all been indoctrinated for decades into thinking that cholesterol should be low. Doctors, nurses and medical thinking still spout this ad nauseum.

The truth is that once people separate out the scientific evidence from the mumbo jumbo collective thinking, they find the situation is both more complex and more reassuring than they expect.

Ken Sikaris explains what happens to cholesterol when people adopt a LCHF way of eating. Even if levels go up, this does not mean it is necessarily a bad thing.



There is growing evidence that having low cholesterol is actually connected to higher death rates than high cholesterol - especially as we get older. Higher levels also protect brain function.

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=381733

http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h3978/

http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/96/12/927

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2614555/

Saturated fat has been demonised for far too long. In this video, a highly qualified dietitian explains why the whole saturated fat is bad thinking is just plain wonky.


So many knee jerk reactions exist about Cholesterol that is it like fighting a spider's web. First people think that high cholesterol must be bad. Nope. It is more about ratios and trigs, than LDL and HDL or Total Cholesterol. Then they think that cholesterol causes clogged arteries and heart attacks. Nope. This is simply nonsense and not supported by the science. Then they think that diet has a huge impact, and they should cut fats. Nope. It is the body that decides how much LDL and HDL are being carted around at any time, not our diet. Certain ways of eating can impact cholesterol levels in the blood, but provided you aren't eating too many carbs, hydrogenated/processed trans fats and drinking too much alcohol (because they affect cholesterol too!) then your own body regulates things.

Don't take my word for it. Do your own reading. But please, don't just fall back to the old thinking and then worrit yourselves sick about it.

Here are some books that you may find useful.

The Great Cholesterol Con - Malcom Kendrick
The Great Cholesterol Myth - Bowden, Sinatra and Rawlings
The Art and Science of Low Carb Living - Voleck and Phinney
 
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I'm in a real quandry again.

4 months ago best ever results for cholesterol.

However, last results couple weeks ago have gone badly in wrong direction.. Total was prev 3.9.. This time my LDL alone was 3.9!

However, I have been changed to Letrozole anti cancer tablets. I phoned my breast cancer nurse and asked for advice... Her advice.. "Letrozole does not affect cholesterol-see your Gp"- so I phoned Macmillan.. They said it was listed as a common side effect for bad effects on cholesterol...

Asked PALs to get involved on advice from Macmillan.. As this nurse may be saying this to other patients and its wrong.

PALs said they would get back to me yesterday.. They didn't..

I have so limited eating... One small green salad (if that)/soup/smoothie or melon with 2/3 teaspoon of yogurt and A2 milk in coffees. I can't eat a lot-take plant sterols, red rice yeast, inulin etc as supplements... Results have only gone this bad since letrozole. An Oncologist from another hospital prescribed them and this hospital Oncology has not allocated anybody to me so I am effectively with this breast nurse and multiple breast consultants (never seen same one twice and seen 6 on 8 months!)

Feeling **** about this...
 
Can you eat avocado? I can't eat a lot of fiber either but avocado is perfect. I need to watch the veggies amount and certainly no grain seed fibers.

Maybe An avocado smoothie thinned with a little water or lemon/ lime juice to desired consistency. Ultra satisfying.

My CHO came down after adopting avocado.
 
donnellysdogs said:
I'm in a real quandry again.

4 months ago best ever results for cholesterol.

However, last results couple weeks ago have gone badly in wrong direction.. Total was prev 3.9.. This time my LDL alone was 3.9!

However, I have been changed to Letrozole anti cancer tablets. I phoned my breast cancer nurse and asked for advice... Her advice.. "Letrozole does not affect cholesterol-see your Gp"- so I phoned Macmillan.. They said it was listed as a common side effect for bad effects on cholesterol...

Asked PALs to get involved on advice from Macmillan.. As this nurse may be saying this to other patients and its wrong.

PALs said they would get back to me yesterday.. They didn't..

I have so limited eating... One small green salad (if that)/soup/smoothie or melon with 2/3 teaspoon of yogurt and A2 milk in coffees. I can't eat a lot-take plant sterols, red rice yeast, inulin etc as supplements... Results have only gone this bad since letrozole. An Oncologist from another hospital prescribed them and this hospital Oncology has not allocated anybody to me so I am effectively with this breast nurse and multiple breast consultants (never seen same one twice and seen 6 on 8 months!)

Feeling **** about this...
Click to expand...

Sorry to read about your current troubles.

I would stop worrying about your cholesterol levels. As others have said the jury is out on how bad cholesterol is for you.

Concentrate on getting better and leave the cholesterol thing for another time.
If you post your full lipid profile I will try and top it! :cool:

I sympathise with you about the consultants; you never seem to see the same one twice and they are usually more interested in your symptoms than you as a person.
 
I'm 100% with Brunneria. Saturated fat was demonised decades ago for no valid reason. It was vilified as a result of flawed research by now discredited scientists. The problem is now that several generations, including doctors / dieticians / nurses have been taught all this stuff for decades and they just cannot let go of what they have previously believed / advocated.

When you read the history of how it came to be that cholesterol was measured in the first place, it's almost laughable - but then the discovery of statins, the biggest profit maker in history for pharmaceutical companies, brought another issue into the equation, the honesty and integrity of medical research - and 'burying bad data'.

More books I'd add to Brunneria's list include

The big fat surprise - Nina Teicholz
Bad Pharma - Ben Goldacre
Doctoring Data - Malcolm Kendrick

In the interests of Pharmaceutical companies, a patient cured is a customer lost!
 
Kristin251 said:
I just do what I have too. If you start incorporating avocado and flax you may find your hunger is much less.
Be careful with whey protein. It's known to spike bs. Maybe you will be able to have it though. I prefer to eat my protein since I have to moderate it and don't need any extra.
Carbs just make me crave more food. Sometimes to the point of ravenous.
Avocado has been a godsend for keeping my bs flat and satisfying me. I need some at all meals or I'm hungry in an hour even if low carb. My lipids were the best since I can remember after an avocado a day. Yay. Testing at 6 month check up Monday. Cross your fingers please.
Click to expand...

Oh good luck for mon. I am finding the flax crackers from ewelinas site invaluable. I will have them with mashed avocado. Most of the time I'm not really hungry, I just seem to have the odd day here and there where I'm starving all day so I just have a but more food on these days.
 
AtkinsMo said:
I'm 100% with Brunneria. Saturated fat was demonised decades ago for no valid reason. It was vilified as a result of flawed research by now discredited scientists. The problem is now that several generations, including doctors / dieticians / nurses have been taught all this stuff for decades and they just cannot let go of what they have previously believed / advocated.

When you read the history of how it came to be that cholesterol was measured in the first place, it's almost laughable - but then the discovery of statins, the biggest profit maker in history for pharmaceutical companies, brought another issue into the equation, the honesty and integrity of medical research - and 'burying bad data'.

More books I'd add to Brunneria's list include

The big fat surprise - Nina Teicholz
Bad Pharma - Ben Goldacre
Doctoring Data - Malcolm Kendrick

In the interests of Pharmaceutical companies, a patient cured is a customer lost!
Click to expand...

Ok thanks I have read Obesity code and am learning all the time.
 
debbiedoodles said:
Oh good luck for mon. I am finding the flax crackers from ewelinas site invaluable. I will have them with mashed avocado. Most of the time I'm not really hungry, I just seem to have the odd day here and there where I'm starving all day so I just have a but more food on these days.
Click to expand...
I think I have a flax bread recipe. It has a bunch of eggs I know. Herbs can be added for a savory bread if you want the recipe I can see if I can dig it up.
 
I have made an avocado smoothie today. I have 1/2 an avocado everyday with my boring green salads..
Trying to eat butternut squash, asparagus and broccoli tonight with a homemade fishcake.. This will be the first time since last July for a fishcake...

I just feel defeated trying to constantly keep on top of everything..and to be told by a breast cancer nurse that Letrozole doesn't affect cholesterol when it is a common symptom is worrying.. Esp as the majority of my flat friends don't even get their cholesterol tested!!
 
You know more than your nurse. Sadly, this is not uncommon.

Forget cholesterol - be like your flat mates :)
 
donnellysdogs said:
I have made an avocado smoothie today. I have 1/2 an avocado everyday with my boring green salads..
Trying to eat butternut squash, asparagus and broccoli tonight with a homemade fishcake.. This will be the first time since last July for a fishcake...

I just feel defeated trying to constantly keep on top of everything..and to be told by a breast cancer nurse that Letrozole doesn't affect cholesterol when it is a common symptom is worrying.. Esp as the majority of my flat friends don't even get their cholesterol tested!!
Click to expand...
How was the smoothie? What else did you put in it? I would think there could be a big variety to changing flavors.

Also I would maybe be careful mixing all those veggies in the same meal. People with stomach issues are generally told to eat just one veggie at a time. More mono meals. Different enzymes for different foods. I eat veggies with all meals but never more than about a cup. And I steam like crazy haha.
I even have to watch lettuce portions or bloat. I don't think I have much amylase as I have never broken down carbs well. I tried teaching my gut but I remains the boss of me.
You're able to eat protein right?
 
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