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

HbA1c - good result........but

carina62

Well-Known Member
Messages
349
Location
Leicestershire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
miserable weather, rude and bad mannered people
I have managed to lower my Hbaic from 8.1% to 6.9% (due to low carbing) and my GP was very pleased...........but my cholesterol has gone up to 5.6 despite the fact that I am on 40mg of Atorvastatin. He said ideally he would like to see it at 4, any suggestions how I can lower it? I am going to start eating porridge for breakfast now and see if that makes a difference.

Any other suggestions on how to lower it please? thanks
 


fasting for at 16 till18 hours a day seems to help lowering cholesterols and targetting it the ideal way as raising the HDL and lowering the LDL ..
try to read this to get convinced ; https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/fasting-lowers-cholesterol-fasting-16/

the point is to not "grass" like eat all over the day as it keeps up the insuline and by some way also the cholesterol... so the best in this case would be 2 meals and nothing in between... but one could take 3 meals in the 6-8 hours one is alowed to eat instead

like not eating anythin with calories from 19 o´clock til next day at 11 o´clock ... but coffee is allowed like other drinks without calories... if this is too hard , then coffee or tea with a Little spoonfull of cream.... in the morning...

admit I used to use sugarfree gums 6 peices to withstand the hunger and lust for food in the mornings in the beginning....( even though there is little sugar in that)
 
It will most likely put your sugars up. First thing in the morning is the absolute worst time to eat carbs as most of us are more insulin resistant first thing. People who start low carbing usually see a rise in cholesterol before seeing a drop. Another thing to consider is that most of the research coming out now is finding that cholesterol levels are not a good predictor of heart health at all and indeed dietary fat is not what determines cholesterol levels. The liver manufactures cholesterol mainly from carbohydrates. High insulin levels from eating a high carb diet is the leading driver of weight gain, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. Have a look at the videos by Tim Noakes that indy51 has been posting. Interesting stuff and well worth putting in the time to watch them.
 
Do you read the forum much?

There are usually one or two threads around discussing cholesterol and dietary fat, where we chunter about the fact that most of the information and targets used by NHS doctors are somewhat out of date. You will also find a lot of interesting links, reading suggestions and links to talks and videos that will give you plenty of information to understand your cholesterol result (the total cholesterol figure is pretty meaningless, you want the breakdown), and how protective cholesterol is. And how tenuous the link between cholesterol and heart disease is. I think we have had 2 or 3 such threads in the last week.

Well worth looking them out and having a read.
The search box is on the top right of the screen.
You could try searching for 'statins' and 'cholesterol' for starters.

Hope that helps.
 
Well done on the HbA1c that is excellent news. As for your cholesterol do you know the breakdown? Total cholesterol means nothing on its own. It could be your good C (hdl) has gone up. Your triglycerides and ratios are the most important markers.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Well done on the HbA1c that is excellent news. As for your cholesterol do you know the breakdown? Total cholesterol means nothing on its own. It could be your good C (hdl) has gone up. Your triglycerides and ratios are the most important markers.
Click to expand...

Yes, I do have the breakdown, it's as follows:-

serum triglyceride = 2.14 mml (range should be 0.0-2.0)
serum HDL cholesterol = 1.7 (range should be 0.9-2.2)
serum LDL = 2.9 (range wasn't specified on form)
total cholesterol: HDL ratio = 3.3
 
Another question. Did you fast for the test? If not I see little to worry about. Food will affect matters especially the triglycerides. Do read the other hundreds of threads about cholesterol/statins. All the answers are there.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Another question. Did you fast for the test? If not I see little to worry about. Food will affect matters especially the triglycerides. Do read the other hundreds of threads about cholesterol/statins. All the answers are there.
Click to expand...

Yes it was a Fasting test.
 
If you are going to try porridge try mixing it with oat bran that's where the soluble fibre is. Worth spending some time feeling good about yourself and the test result too
 
Hi. Your total cholesterol level isn't as important as knowing the breakdown and good ratios. Your figures don't look too bad and are better than mine! The NICE target of 4mmol total for diabetics is merely plucked out of the air and as you may know having a cholesterol level too low can cause as much harm as it being too high as the body needs cholesterol of the right type for repairs. I would continue with the low-carb diet which helps ratios and have non saturated fat when you can e.g. omega-3 oils. I would have cold oats (muesli) and not porridge as the latter is really stewed oats and can be high-GI and spike your sugars. BTW the problem with statins is that they appear to reduce both LDL and HDL so affect the total but not the ratio to any extent and hence their value is questionable.
 
My mother's partner is overweight and had a stroke a couple of years ago. He has low cholesterol. Low cholesterol can lead to strokes!
 
The latest research seems to indicate that a cholesterol level in the 5`s is acceptable for women I don't have any links but I. am sure that this has come up on the forum and someone may be able to link you to it .Personally my cholesterol levels came down from in the 7`s to 5.4 just by changing to LCHF my DN is ok with this and even the GP has given up offering me statins !
CAROL
 

Good work on the Hb going down, keep on with that.
Lipids, yours way better than mine and as other have said, not too bad for early LC.
Be interested to see how the porridge goes.
 
asparagusp said:
My mother's partner is overweight and had a stroke a couple of years ago. He has low cholesterol. Low cholesterol can lead to strokes!
Click to expand...

Do you have any links to that statement that: ".... Low cholesterol can lead to strokes!", or do you mean that those who have low cholesterol can still have strokes, despite it?
 
What are you considering low carb? i.e. how much carb do you consume in a typical day in grams?
 
Olive Oil, Wild caught Salmon, Nuts, Avocados are good source of fat. Packed with Polyunsaturated fat and mono saturated fat. They can help reduce bad fat and improve HDL or good fat. If taken with moderation. The high fat low carbs diet doesn't mean there is no restriction to the amount of fat we eat.
 
Hi
I was diagnosed type2 in july2001, still type 2 but now glucose intorerant
Cholesterol 3.5 in 2001 now 3.4
Still diet only
Why
Obtain the GL (not GI) diet book by Nigel Denby
Best book ever and not a diet just a way of life
Forget and ignore all the other suggestions

Enjoy
 
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.…