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High Cholesterol levels

smithyg17

Member
Messages
18
Location
Edinburgh
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi everyone

I am 32 years old and had diabetes for over 18 years now.

I had my last diabetes review on 8th July 2021 after getting my bloods done 2 weeks prior to this.

The results show that my HbA1c levels are at 56mmol/mol which is good the previous results were 55 last August and 83 I’m January 2020.
I am pleased that my results are coming down having been high for a long period of time.

My diabetes doctor then said that my total cholesterol levels are sitting at 5.1 which she mentioned is fine for people with diabetes however it is a bit on high side for the likes of me because I’m diabetic. She said that she would like them to be around 4.
She briefly mentioned that I may need to go onto statins in the future.

I then mentioned that my dad had high cholesterol and had passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 29. (I was 5 at the time so don’t know how high his levels were). I said to the doctor that he was on statins however I think he may had stopped taking these for an unknown reason. I said to the doctor that I am now a little bit anxious that my levels are a bit on the ‘high side” for the likes of me.

The diabetes doctor said that she could write to my GP and get statins added to my prescription “if I wanted to do that?”

The doctor also had said that it has been 10 years since my levels were down at 4 and I had a previous discussion with another diabetes doctor a couple of years ago who had said that my levels were at 4.7 but they weren’t overly concerned about that then despite him knowing about my dad.

I haven’t been a terrible eater but I do eat a lot of things in high saturated fat.
For the past 4 weeks, I have improved what I am eating and exercising more than I was before in order to try help get my levels down.

The diabetes doctor didn’t sound like I had to take statins now as she said “I could start them (statins) now if I wanted to.”

My questions is to you all, what do you think I should do now?
Should I continue with the healthier eating to see if this brings my levels down?
Is a total cholesterol level of 5.1 really that bad that I should be taking statins now?
Am I able to start taking statins and once my levels come down to a healthy level then can I come off them?

I don’t really like the idea of having to take tablets for the rest of my life since I’m still relatively young. Although if I really had to and it’s going to save my life then I will do.


Any help will greatly be appreciated!
 

Mine came back 5.4 total and doctors weren’t worried as I’m 31, so sort of in the same boat as yourself, DN just said I could start having one of those cholesterol lowering drinks daily and lower “bad” fats from my diet so I’m trying that and seeing what my next bloods looks like.
 
smithyg17 said:
I haven’t been a terrible eater but I do eat a lot of things in high saturated fat.
Click to expand...
What kind of things?

smithyg17 said:
Is a total cholesterol level of 5.1 really that bad that I should be taking statins now?
Click to expand...
How long had you fasted before the blood was taken for this test?
Did you get a full lipid panel or just the "total cholesterol" number?
 
That’s what I was thinking of doing and seeing how that impacts my levels.
 
bulkbiker said:
What kind of things?


How long had you fasted before the blood was taken for this test?
Did you get a full lipid panel or just the "total cholesterol" number?
Click to expand...

Things that are really high in high saturated fat such as red meat, pizzas, butter. A lot of stuff I was eating was a red label for saturated fat.
I got my bloods taken in the afternoon and have never been told that I need to fast before getting them done so I have just had a normal day when getting them done.
It was just the total cholesterol which was 5.1.
 

Ok so a mix of foods some "better" than others.. But with those results and presumably fairly soon after eating I'd be incredibly hesitant to start any medication.
Red meat and butter should be fine.. pizza less so.

Cholesterol can be very dynamic depending on what has been eaten in the previous few hours and the total number is pretty meaningless without a full lipid profile breakdown.

To get a cleaner figure ts better to fast for 12-14 hours before the blood is taken and then try to get a full lipid panel breakdown so you can see what HDL, And triglycerides are doing as these are a far better indicator of heart health that total cholesterol alone.

Your diabetes doc obviously isn't much of a cholesterol expert.
 
I went onto a Low Carb High(er) traditional fat 'Way Of Eating' when diagnosed with T2 D. My Total Cholesterol is 7.7 but I'm now in the normal HbA1C range at 37.
When I was diagnosed for T2D with HbA1C of 53 my total Cholesterol was 3.6, but back then my HDL was only 1.2 (not good) and my Triglycerides were 1.93 (even worse , especially the ratio between them).
Now my HDL is 2.17 and my Triglycerides are 1.13 both good figures and a good ratio (though could be better if I got my Trigs below 1.0). However I'm now still at less risk of CAD than I was when first diagnosed as T2D even if I discounted the T2D aspect because although my LDL is higher it is now much higher quality LDL instead of being damaged LDL (oxidised or glycated).
Thus it's less likely to be a problem and much more likely to be good at producing hormones and a good immune response.

LDL itself is vital for life (we would be dead without it), it is the quality (not so much the quantity) that matters most.
 
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Imho 5.1 isn’t bad, in fact it’s within the normal range for the country I live in. So, if it were me I’d probably try to add some omega 3s , a little more fiber and not worry about it much
 
Agree that 5.1 isn't bad, and that it's triglycerides you need to watch out for. I'm not T1, so obviously tailor this advice to suit your needs, but I have had heart problems, and my cardiologist tells me to avoid carbohydrate and stick to green veg and lean meat. When I do that, my numbers get better. Red meat in itself shouldn't be an issue.
 
Hi everyone, hope you are all well! I thought I would just give you an update.

Since my last cholesterol results in July, I have improved my diet slightly.

I seen my GP 2 weeks ago who said that a total cholesterol of 5.1 isn’t that high however given that my dad had high cholesterol, he gave me a prescription for atorvastatin and said that I could start taking them if I wanted to.

I asked if I could get another blood test done to check what my levels are now since improving my diet. He did say that diet and exercise can help however by the time I’m 40 and older, diet wouldn’t really do much and statins may be a better option.

I noticed that people where suggesting to look at the ratio (hdl, ldl, triglycerides etc) so I requested I get this information when getting the blood tests done.
Also I noted that it was mentioned that I should fast before getting cholesterol checked. Given that it has never been mentioned to me before and never fasted before I getting them checked before, I decided that it be worth trying to fast. I fasted for 12 hours before the test and my last meal before the fasting at night was macaroni cheese (reduced fat cheese)

My blood tests results came back as follows:
Total cholesterol 4.4
Triglycerides: 0.9
HDL Cholesterol (good cholesterol): 1.2
LDL Cholesterol (bad cholesterol): 2.8
HDLC ratio: 3.7

When I called the docs to get the result, the receptionist just said that they were okay and did not give them any cause for concern.

I have had a look on the NHS website about the ratio and what I make out of it is that the ratio isn’t really that bad. im happy that the fact my total cholesterol has come down which I wasted really expecting. Has improving my diet really worked?

I wondered what your opinions were on my cholesterol ratio levels?
 
smithyg17 said:
My blood tests results came back as follows:
Total cholesterol 4.4
Triglycerides: 0.9
HDL Cholesterol (good cholesterol): 1.2
Click to expand...

What is now considered a quite important ratio for heart disease prediction is Triglycerides/HDL
Anything under 0.87 is considered very good.

Yours is 0.75 so absolutely nothing to worry about and certainly not worth medication.

Great that you had fasted for 12 hours pre bloods as you now have a clean figure to use as a baseline.

Certainly with those numbers there's no way statins would be on my horizon at all.
 

That’s what I was thinking. I never knew what the ideal ratio should be but now you mention it, my levels are far better than I thought.

The only thing that is is swaying me towards taking the tablets is the fact my dad died of a heart attack due to high cholesterol.
My doctor said that it puts me at higher risk and the fact I’m diabetic, that also increases my risk of heart disease.

Having said that, my levels are pretty good and I do get my cholesterol checked at least 6 months so I should be able to react to any potential future increases in my levels fairly quickly.
 

You might also first want to do some research into whether "high cholesterol" is even indicative of heart attack risk and if statins would even reduce that risk.

Heres a little thread on the subject


https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cholesterol-and-statins.156985/
 
I understand your concerns given the family history and risk factor.
Please read the thread suggested by BulkBiker.
Also bear in mind that the blood test figures are all proxies for heart disease not direct measures so if you are really concerned you may want to request a private calcium scan to see what is actually happening in your arteries.
I think the questions to ask GP are Will a statin extend my life? (only 4 days apparently - i.e. you may prevent a heart attack but die of something else) What side effects might there be? (you may tolerate the drug well and it may make you feel less worried) Or if I have high cholesterol is this caused by my diet or by having elevated blood sugars for a while (sugary damage to the arteries called glycation which then prompts the repair team to come out - cholesterol?
I am type 1 of 40 years and had rocky control which is getting better due to better kit (closed looping with pump/dexcom) and a low carb diet. That low carb diet means I have higher ldl than the doctors like until I point out my great trig/hdl ratio!
My point is that a statin will definitely drop your LDL C but I do think getting better BGs is far far more important.
 
I am 66 have been type 2 for 7 years in July hba1c 46 , cholesterol 5, blood pressure normal. Back in August I had a heart attack. I now take a statin (and a host of other meds). Cholesterol now 2.8. I had always refused statins before when offered but maybe I should have taken them. The jury is out on whether its high fat diet or high carb that contrinbutes to the risk associated with high cholesterol.Many here would say it is high carb thats the problem and the health professionals will generally say its high fat. You need to do your own research to make up your mind. I am now trying to lose weight again as I had put on a fair bit in the last lockdown and cutting out carbs almost totally to get back on track to get hba1c down to the 37 I achieved when I first was diagnosed.
 


What cholesterol lowering drink are you referring to? I have only heard of the statin tablet.
 
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