Hi Guys - I know there is a wealth of knowledge on this forum and its helped me immensely to put my diabetes’s in remission. I can’t be more grateful for the knowledge and advice I received here for my T2 diagnosis in March 2023.
Now cholesterol is like a mine field to me, and there is to much stuff in cholesterol like total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides to name a few. I did a check in my gym (Nuffield Health) this weekend with the following results. The total cholesterol is too high as its supposed to be below 5. I am on no medication for diabetes’s and none for cholesterol and I want to remain this way. Can someone please help me interpret my numbers and explain what they actually mean and how do I lower my Total Cholesterol (5.92)?
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Firstly: your numbers are not ‘terrible’. Don’t panic. Raising HDL would be good - and then, LDL may just lower anyway. Or at least the ratio will be better. Triglycerides (fats in blood formed often from carbs) appear normal.
There is controversy in cholesterol research (higher levels are not always associated with bad outcomes, it’s tricky). Eating LC naturally leads to eating more fat - you could choose to eat more healthy vegetable fats (avo, olive oil,nuts - which will lower total cholesterol and tend to boost HDL). Some people find their cholesterol levels drop even eating more animal fats. It’s individual.
Research suggests Dairy fats are in a class of their own - ‘healthier’ than animal meat fats (ie eggs, cream, yoghurt, sour cream, buttermilk etc). Cow products good but sheep, goat, buffalo products - higher protein. ‘Low fat’ or ‘no fat’ - not necessarily ‘better’. Extra carbs can be added (depends whether fat just removed or - something added as well). Personally I like skim milk but it has the same 10gm carbs as FC - and more protein (in Oz). I also eat cheeses, kefir, yoghurt and cultured creams. I eat a lot of Avocados; and use olive oil not seed.
You will have heard advice to ‘stick to the lighter meats - and fish.’ I wonder if the amount of any meat you eat and how fresh it is - are just as important. I’ve returned to eating (unprocessed) food including a variety of all meats (from being veg).
I avoid ‘processed’ red or white meats that contain nitrites, colourings, flavourings, sugar/carbs - ie most ham, bacon, sausage, salami etc. Their association with cancer is one thing. To my mind it’s not necessarily the ‘meat’ (even the fat) that’s the (biggest) issue - it’s the preservatives/additives (and potentially the cooking method).
There are additive / preservative free processed meats in the UK. Other red meats are genuine ‘Serrano’ ham (Spanish) or ‘Prosciutto’ (Italian) (salted and air dried). I remove some of the fat. Outside Europe you have to check labels as things can be called by those names but still have additives. In Oz, sodium sulphite or metabisulphite (most researched and supposedly most harmful of the preservatives, and commonly used in ham and bacon) are often added to ‘smoked salmon’ these days.
How do all these additives affect digestion/ metabolism, esp wrt cholesterol? We don’t know (yet). It’s complicated, and individual, but broadly the thinking goes - things that tax the liver (additives have to be broken down and removed) - can reduce its ability to do the rest of its jobs well (incl manage glucose; manage cholesterol).
My experience: total cholesterol 7.9 a year ago (HDL 1.8; triglycerides 2.5; LDLs - the rest) - reduced to 4.5 (now). I couldn’t manage more exercise (good if possible - but not the only answer); or more oily fish (expensive, I already ate fish 2x pw). I snack on cans of tuna more (a fraught issue too - mercury content, origin, sustainability).
Reducing empty carbs brought my triglycerides to below 1 (easy to do). You don’t seem to have a triglyc issue.
The biggest change (ie dropping from 7.9 to 4.5) came about by taking 2000-3000mg of high quality Omega 3 (fish oil) daily. I had been taking 1000mg for years but upped to 2000 (6 months ago) then 3000 (3 months ago; and LC a month ago). I built up slowly as changes can negatively affect my digestion. This also normalised my liver panel readings (poor due to necessary meds). I have to take Vitamin D and Iron (periodically).
Best of luck. Others will come along to advise. As for diabetes, there is no one right way. Once you decide what to do, give it a couple of months before retesting. If you (eg) lose a lot of weight suddenly (more exercise or calorie restriction) your total cholesterol will eventually drop - but fat leaving your body may keep cholesterol levels high (or even inc triglycerides) temporarily. Make considered small changes you can maintain. Be patient.