So My HB1AC has improved, but cholesterol gone up.

[MCMLXXIII]

Had my service this week.

HB1AC 46 (6.4 mmol) Meds free.
Cholesterol 5.5 but triglycerides (the bad stuff) lower than last time.(4.9).
I've had a knee injury that prevented me from the cross trainer for the last 3 months.
So if my diet now has reasonably good control as displayed by my sugars improving, can I presume my Cholesterol has increased due to me not being able to exercise or am I missing something?
In any case, as my route back from the injury, exercise has to restart lightly, so can I be taking or doing something else to get fast natural improvement to my Cholesterol? Orally or whatever?
Funny If you look at the Greeks and Cypriots, they have some of the highest cholesterol levels, yet live longer than we do, is there too much emphasis placed on something that's actually needed by our bodies for blood transportation.?
All thoughts welcome..


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[Andy12345]

congrats on the a1c, great job

i too am interested in your replies regarding chol

 

[alaska]

I experienced similar. When my HbA1c came down, my triglycerides dropped but my HDL and LDL cholesterol markers both went up.

Cholesterol is a bit more complex than blood sugars and the medical experts don't always agree on what really is a healthy cholesterol level.

Research has found that there are two different types of LDL cholesterol, with one type being the dangerous type and the other generally regarded by the top University Professors in this area as much less of an issue and possibly even a good thing.

See a more detailed explanation here
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=36616#p342856

We, in the UK, don't tend to get given the full lipid profile that shows what pattern type of LDL we have.

My main concern is to keep my HbA1c and triglycerides down to below the target levels and trust that if these are healthy then my cholesterol will in turn be healthy. I can't be sure that the cholesterol health follows triglycerides and HbA1c, but I'd rather trust in this then trust in a drug like statins that may not be needed.

Before I'd consider taking statins I'd want the doctors to take a full lipid profile. They can do this in the UK, it's just that it's more expensive than a standard cholesterol test and therefore it's not routinely done.

Ed

 

[Andy12345]

cholesterol is such a difficult subject, there just dosent seem to be definative answers, how are we to know what is best

 

[alaska]

It seems from research that the more dangerous LDL particle size is generally consistent with higher triglyceride levels and lower HDL.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9108784

A predominance of small, dense LDL particles (subclass pattern B) characterizes a metabolic trait that is associated with higher levels of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and lower levels of HDL compared with those of individuals with predominantly larger LDL (pattern A).

Translation: small dense LDL (ie dangerous) is associated with higher triglyceride levels and low HDL (good cholesterol) levels.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10075324

There is no apparent lipoprotein benefit of reduction in dietary fat from 20-24% to 10% in men with large LDL particles: LDL-cholesterol concentration was not reduced, and in a subset of subjects there was a shift to small LDL along with increased triacylglycerol and reduced HDL-cholesterol concentrations.

Translation: They took men with pattern A (good) LDL and divided them into high fat and low fat groups. The men in the low fat group started to develop the pattern B (less safe) LDL cholesterol.

If anyone knows of a study that shows the opposite, it'd be useful to see it.

For the time being, I'll be happy to assume that if my triglyceride levels are low and my HDL is high, than it's quite likely that my LDL pattern is more likely to be the healthy A type.

 

[MCMLXXIII]

Thanks for the replies.
Too high: Heart attack.
Too low: Stroke.
I'm still non the wiser as to my ideal target level.
I've a telephone consultation with my Doctor Friday so will report his take on the subject.

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[MCMLXXIII]

Spoke to Doctors today and in old money he said my result was okay.
He's given me 4 months to try and reduce my cholesterol or he wants to put me on Statins.
He did congratulate me on my hb1ac but said my age (39) was like other North westerners and I'm label (ed) as high!!
I said to him let's do this then and we will see whose right four months from now.
Knob. (Is that allowed?)


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[Andy12345]

that word is only valid on the forum when referring to medical professionals and then only when prefixed with a profanity

 

[MCMLXXIII]

Andy, if I could give kudos out freely you would now be rollin' in it.

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[charon]

Interesting. Used to be that you cholesterol has gone up which is bad.
Then your bad LDL/good HDL ratio has got worse which is bad.
Now though you have lowered very bad triglycerides which should match the bad LDL leaving you with high good LDL and good HDL which is good.

Don't know why anyone would be confused .


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[MCMLXXIII]

I keep calm and take African Mango:lol:

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[hornplayer]

I don't understand cholesterol at all.

My mum was on tablets for high cholesterol when she was first diagnosed as diabetic. It was not good. She couldn't keep any thing down cept small amounts of mashed potato, couldn't sit up without feeling sick. She basically lay on the sofa for six weeks. No energy. She just thought it was a stomach bug she couldn't shake. the doctor thought so too. Turns out that her cholesterol levels were dangerously LOW. Can't win really can we?


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[hellenjoy]

Spoke to Doctors today and in old money he said my result was okay.
He's given me 4 months to try and reduce my cholesterol or he wants to put me on Statins.
He did congratulate me on my hb1ac but said my age (39) was like other North westerners and I'm label (ed) as high!!
I said to him let's do this then and we will see whose right four months from now.
Knob. (Is that allowed?)

Knobhead is better

Seriously GP's would like to have every single one of their patients over 40 on statins and they can have very bad side-effects ( I am a social worker and have seen them in people I have worked with and 2 friends. )

A Gp ( or practice nurse) cannot make you go on Statins or indeed any other sort of medication, whether that's for diabetes or not. I have refused all meds to date.

My last HB1Ac was 8.2 and practice nurse was suggesting I should go on Metformin but I declined for now as trying to stay off meds as long as possble. I am nearly 60 and diagnosed with Type 2 nearly a year ago. It was 7.8 then but I got it down to 6.7, 3 months later but then 6 months later 8.2 .. ah that **** chocolate and not enough excercise !

As for Cholesterol, on the advice of a dietician friend I take a lot of Plant Stanols. Not only do I take at least one of the little Benecol drinks a day I also have about 5-6 Benecol Yoghurts a week and use their buttery spread ( they aren't paying me honestly! )

The result a steady decrease in my Cholesterol. In 11 months it has come down from 6.8 to 5.2 . How's about that then !

So Plant Stanols really do work. I know benecol is expensive but I think it's worth it.. Give it a try I say.

 

[Doreen S]

I would recommend you read Foods That Heal by Suzannah Olivier a nutritional therapist. It has sections on diabetes, insulin resistance and cholesterol, besides a host of other conditions which can be improved via dietary changes. I got my cholesterol down from a total of 6.8 in March to 5.1 in June through changing my diet to include oily fish ( salmon, smoked salmon, mackerel, sardines , pilchards) twice to three times a week, eating leaner meats ( chicken, turkey) and changing to soya or skimmed milk. Eating oatmeal on a regular basis, either through porridge, or a couple of tablespoons of oatbran on yoghurt is good for lowering the cholesterol levels. The HDL ( good fat levels) went from 1.51 in March to 1.56 in June with the LDL ( or bad fats) going from 4.63 to 3.09. Triglycerides went from 1.48 in March to 0.99 in June.
I try to avoid processed foods where I can because they tend to contain higher levels of fat, and have increased the amount of fruit like apples I eat, and also beans & pulses ( lentils, chick peas, kidney beans, black eye peas, cannelini beans etc) as they help lower cholesterol levels.

 

[mpe]

Had my service this week.

HB1AC 46 (6.4 mmol) Meds free.
Cholesterol 5.5 but triglycerides (the bad stuff) lower than last time.(4.9).
I've had a knee injury that prevented me from the cross trainer for the last 3 months.
So if my diet now has reasonably good control as displayed by my sugars improving, can I presume my Cholesterol has increased due to me not being able to exercise or am I missing something?
In any case, as my route back from the injury, exercise has to restart lightly, so can I be taking or doing something else to get fast natural improvement to my Cholesterol?

Your increased reading might be due to the healing of your injury.
Healing of injuries tends to involve both cell devision and cell death.
Cholesterol need for dividing cells might be delivered by VLDL, IDL or LDL.
A major function of HDL is recycling cholesterol from dying cells.

Funny If you look at the Greeks and Cypriots, they have some of the highest cholesterol levels, yet live longer than we do, is there too much emphasis placed on something that's actually needed by our bodies for blood transportation.?

Low (and especially falling) cholesterol is correlated with an increased risk of death from all sorts of things. Interestingly including CVD.

There's an interesting graph at http://renegadewellness.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/cholesterol-mortality-chart.pdf
(Looks like it should also be on the BHF and WHO websites...)

In SI numbers the range is 5,2 - 6.2 mmol/l
Which calls in to question the whole idea of cholesterol lowing drugs being used for CVD prevention.
Note that 4.0 mmol/l is to the left of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania 5.0 mmol/l is just right of the Russia Federation.