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First review good and bad

Pinkorchid

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,927
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Just had my first 3 month T2 review HbA1c had gone down from 46 on diagnosis to 41 I think that is about 6.1 so the nurse was pleased with that the only thing that had gone up was my cholesterol again two blood tests running . She said I really need to get it down to under 5...it was 5.9.. although I do have a lot of good cholesterol and not to much bad. I don't really know what I can do to reduce it I already take statins and they had always kept it at a good level and it has only gone up since I increased the fats. Seems we can't win one thing goes down and another goes up
 
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Congratulations on the HbA1c. That is excellent news.

As for the cholesterol, what are the actual figures of the breakdown, and your triglycerides? Have they gone up or down, and are they within normal range? The ratios and trigs are the important figures.

You must have read on here many times on many threads that the total is fairly meaningless, and modern opinion is that women "of a certain age" need more cholesterol, not less. As we age or bodies make more naturally because we need more to replenish our cells.
 
I had the same problem , leading me to ditch the low carb high fat diet, now I'm more higher carb lower fat and a very high cabbage intake.

I take high dose artichoke tablets and margarine fortified with plant sterols and only occasionally take my prescribed statins, as they appear to be causing insulin resistance . I also exercise daily which helps with HDL and trigs.

I have my test results this Friday so I can see if my approach has kept my LDL down . Last years test indicated I had halved my LDL.
 
That's really interesting
 

I did ask her how important was the total level as I had heard it wasn't helpful and she said it was because it took into consideration all the cholesterol levels including the serum cholesterol. I think this information is what she meant

Serum cholesterol is a term that includes the total level of cholesterol that is found in the bloodstream. Measuring the level of total cholesterol includes identifying all types or classes of cholesterol that are found in the system. This helpful measurement makes it possible to determine if the balance between the HDL or good cholesterol and LDL or bad cholesterol is within acceptable limits.

While tracking the HDL and LDL levels are part of what goes into a serum cholesterol evaluation, they are not the only factors considered. This measurement also involves identifying the current level of Very Low Density lipoprotein content, as well as the Intermediate Density lipoprotein levels. These readings, along with the LDL and HDL cholesterol levels, help to provide a complete picture of the lipids and proteins currently present in the body.
 

Please post your results! They will be very interesting. I have noticed your high cabbage and sauerkraut intake, and I take my hat off to you. I am afraid it is more than I could stomach, but if it works for you then that is brilliant. I have been trying to increase my coleslaw intake (raw, fibre, good mayo - hard to see a problem for me as a hardened LCHFer )

Has the shift in diet had much effect on your insulin usage? Am very curious about how this might impact T1s and T2s differently.
 

Will do, I am looking forward to see what impact it will have on HBA1C and LDL. !

'Mexican' boiled cabbage with fajita power is one of my all time favorite meals, can't get enough of it I have to avoid injecting for Sauerkraut as it is the only thing I have found to actually lower my BS , other than injected insulin. Overall I think I'm using slightly more insulin.
 
Ancel Keys originally tried to establish a link between cholesterol in food and cholesterol in the blood (our cholesterol levels when we have a blood test) because he thought (probably because of poor Bugs Bunny) that cholesterol in the blood causes heart disease.

Keys did multiples of studies, changing the diets of his human ‘guinea pigs’, and he presented his conclusions in The Journal of Nutrition, November 1955: “It is concluded that in adult men the serum cholesterol level is essentially independent of the cholesterol intake over the whole range of natural human diets. It is probable that infants, children and women are similar.” i.e. I only tested adult men and there is no relationship between cholesterol eaten and cholesterol in the blood and it is probable that there will similarly be no relationship for women or children.

In 1997 Keys put this even more assertively: “There’s no connection whatsoever between cholesterol in food and cholesterol in blood. And we’ve known that all along. Cholesterol in the diet doesn’t matter at all unless you happen to be a chicken or a rabbit.”
 

Hope the above link works, I really recommend you watch the video. It was posted by AndBreath on another thread and I found it very helpful and now have a better understanding of my blood test results.

If it doesn't work the video is in the second comment on a thread called Cholesterol.
 

There is nothing new in that. Total serum cholesterol is calculated by adding the HDL and the estimated LDL plus 20% of the triglycerides (also estimated). It is important to work out the ratios of good and bad, as your quote indicates. These ratios are what can determine whether you are in range, high, or low. So, I ask again, what was your breakdown and, more importantly, your ratio? (Total divided by HDL)

Have a go at this. http://www.hughcalc.org/chol-si.php
 
I don't know the actual breakdown well she did tell me but it was a bit to technical for me. I really only understood the bit that said I had a lot of the good stuff. I have to see the nurse again on Monday for a blood pressure check so I will ask her if I can have a print out but do not know if our surgery will do that I know some will some won't
 
Pinkorchid said:
Seems we can't win one thing goes down and another goes up
Click to expand...
My experience too. But a lot of people on here seem to have more success. Many say that the increase in cholesterol is temporary
 

If you are refused a print out ask her to write them down for you.
 
Oh, they are your results, ask and you shall have. They can't refuse. It's against the law.
 
Also ask her why she wants your total cholesterol to be less than 5.0 when 5.6 is the point where there is the lowest all cause morbidity rate in women?
 
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