• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Cholesterol

C

carpy

Member
Messages
23
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
hi

I have been type 2 for 2 years and my test (cant remember its name) at the doctors last year was 35. I have lately been for another and it is 35.

Now for 4-5 years my Chloresterol has been 4.2 - 4.3 however this time it came out at 7 my lifestyle has not changed in fact it is more stringent now than it was. I am eating a low carb diet with plenty of exercise.

I went back and saw the doctor and asked if there was any medical reason for this , he checked my test results i.e liver thyroid etc and said they were all fine. He said a lot of diabetics have raised levels and changed my meds from pravastin to simvastatin.

can anyone give me an idea where i am going wrong.

best regards
 
I would like to know this too...

but I believe it may be a genetic thing.......so I don't think it anything you have been doing......

are you on a LCHF diet...........?

I only ask and this is coming from someone who doesn't follow one, but could your fat intake be reviewed....
 
Hi,

What was the breakdown of your cholesterol? A total cholesterol of 7 seems a big jump, but the figure is fairly meaningless without the breakdown. You need to know the following - HDL, LDL, and Triglycerides before you start to worry. The triglycerides are the real baddies. If you don't have these figures, then you need to ask for a print out of your results or at the very least, you need to ask what these figures were. If you get a print out you can compare the results with past and future ones to see how you are doing. Without the breakdown there isn't much advice we can give you.

Also, the triglycerides can be raised depending on what and when you last ate, so even though you may have been told fasting was not necessary before the test, it is always wise to ignore that and fast.
 
Hi. I agree with Bluetit that the blood test needs to be fasting to get the most reliable cholesterol breakdown and total results. Apart from that I can't offer any explanation.
 
Hopefully the change of meds will help reduce your cholesterol levels, but do ask for a full lipid breakdown next time you see your gp.

These are the target cholesterol levels that they want people with diabetes to aim for:

Blood fats (lipids)
Lipids are the cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood. Cholesterol is a type of fat found in all of us. You may be familiar with the term blood cholesterol, but what you may not know is that not all cholesterol is bad. Some of it, HDL (high density lipoprotein), can actually protect against heart disease. Low levels of this protective HDL cholesterol increase your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol is the bad form of cholesterol in the blood. Triglycerides are another type of fat in the blood. If you have raised cholesterol and raised triglycerides you have an increased risk of CVD.

  • Your total cholesterol level should be below 4.0mmol/l.
  • LDL levels should be less than 2.0mmol/l.
  • HDL levels should be 1.0mmol/l or above in men and 1.2mmol/l or above in women.
  • Triglyceride levels should be 1.7mmol/l or less.
If you do not know your lipid levels, ask your healthcare team to arrange a simple blood test for you.

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Monitoring/Testing/
 
My cholesterol has always been low yet I had a quituplet bypass last December. I had never been on cholesterol meds. My blood is tested every 3 months for years. Now I'm on a cholesterol drug.
I always thought I wasn't at risk but my Doctor told me it was all about diabetes not my cholesterol.
When I insisted on going onto insulin, my Doctor sent me to an internal Med Doctor who sent me for my 3rd stress test in 20 years. They found blockages where I had always been clear.. I was shocked and at first thought that my Doctor was joking. . Apparently the cholesterol number means very little.
My non medicated blood pressure is only 110 /56 which is very important in regards to retinopathy. I was told BP plus sugar are the 2 main factors in eyesight complications. I've has 21 laser surgeries in both eyes.
 
Thanks for posting this, I just got my first cholesterol test results on Wednesday. I was only diagnosed T2 a couple of months ago and I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…