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is lower total cholesterol possible for me

D

dragongirl

Well-Known Member
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349
Location
Northumberland, UK
After getting my a1c confirmed as lower last week (thank you forum! from 8.2 to 5.5) I now have my cholesterol results. I'm pleased, but wonder if it is possible to lower the total chol further in any way.

Total (was 7.5) NOW 6.4 - 3 months on from diagnosis
HDL (was 1.5) NOW 1.6
LDL (no figure before) NOW 4.1
trigs (was 4.7) NOW 1.6

What would I need to do in terms of low carbing - or in general - to get the Total into the 5s as requested? The doc was pleased though. I already take one benecol a day, though no idea if it's worth it anyway!

Thanks for any suggestions. I am really grateful for all the help that has made my improved bg and chol results possible so far.
DG
 
Those Cholesterol figures are pretty good.
Trigs could and probably will ggo lower and HDL higher.
The most important information is HDL/trig ratio.
Total Cholesterol isn't very useful
Hana
 
You definitely want to get your LDL a little lower, and ideally it should be lower than your HDL. believe it or not, you can lower your LDL, and increase your HDL by eating MORE fat.

Good fats include Olive Oil, Coconut Oil (a VERY good fat), Flax seed Oil. Get some of these in your diet, along with some oily fish, and you'll be laughing.
 
Congratulations on a massive HbA1c improvement and for becoming a member of the 5% Club! Well done! Keep it up!

As regards your cholesterol numbers, I'm not an expert but to me the HDL and triglycerides look to be very good. However, your LDL - and because of that your total cholesterol - is a bit on the high side. Have you tried to cut out or minimise your intake of saturated fats?

It must be great for you to see all your readings moving in the right direction. You are obviously on the right track. Well done! It's well worth the effort.

Best wishes - John
 
Thank you very much all of you.

Hana - thanks, my maths not good but think I understand that instead of 1:1 it would be, say, 1.5 to 1??? The doc did say they don't have many with an HDL of 2 (in their general population not just diabetics). So presumably this can only inch up, not scale the heights. Anyone claiming a figure of 2?

Patch - I read the coconut oil thread. Couldn't quite see downing a spoonful neat, but someone said put it in your coffee so I'll try that! Thanks. need to get the right sort though and I don't think I'd be very good at discerning quality of something I know nothing about. May have to take a sniffer dog :wink:

John - thanks. We just read your post and went and checked through much of what I eat and although there is some saturated fat, it is far outweighed by the monos and polys, so we'll just continue to keep an eye.

Well I guess it's onwards and upwards. Thanks for your congrats. It would be a lonely old DB place without you lot here. (See? I haven't mentioned weight loss once in this post...)
DG
 
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