Statins,Aaaaaaargh!!!!!

[Moggely]

OK firstly you don't have to take anything that you don't want to. So tell the doctor if you don't want statins.
What kind of thing have you been eating? Cholesterol (like blood sugar) changes throughout the day sometimes by quite large margins and does seem to be effected by what we have eaten to some extent. Was your last test fasted? If not then it's pretty meaningless.

@bulkbiker Thanks for the reply. Yes it was a fasting blood test. I eat low carb and reasonably high fat, probably 25 carbs sometimes less. The over all cholesterol was 5.4. I was just wondering what is bad in those figures that would want him to put me on statins. I know he can't make me for i have already told the nurse it will never happen. We live in Australia. I just wanted to know what numbers were the so called bad one. It just seems to me that for a start it's a depressing thing to be diagnosed with diabetes without them making it worse by putting you on other drugs. Metformin i stopped after 5 weeks. Anyway thanks again for responding.

 

[Moggely]

The best thing you could do to improve your Cholesterol Ratios is to fully adopt a Low Carb High Fat Diet. It would also be brilliant for your diabetes management. And when you next have a cholesterol test, ask for a morning appointment, and even if they say you don’t need to fast, fast anyway.

I wouldn’t be too concerned with a Total Cholesterol of 5.4 (remember women with the highest Cholesterol have the longest life expectancy), but I would prefer a ratio of under 4 (which means you have to get your HDL up) and your triglycerides down to under 1. This would all occur naturally with a LCHF diet.

If you do decide to go LCHF, your Total Cholesterol May go up slightly, if your HDL goes up, but it will then probably drop back or go lower in time.

@AtkinsMo Thanks for the reply. I am already doing Low Carb reasonably High Fat. Struggling with getting enough fast maybe . around 25 or less carbs. I thought my numbers were good but sometimes the doctors scare you into taking pills. I would prefer to do with out them for as long as possible. Yes i have heard those with a higher cholesterol do have longer lives but i would prefer quality over quantity anytime. I'm 64 so don't really consider myself ancient yet. Thanks for taking the time to give me some advise AtkinsMo. Oh going by your name i think my diet is like the Atkins. Keto seems similar so perhaps a combination.

 

[Guzzler]

Got the T shirt. A recent scientific study performed by one of the manufacturers (seller?) of a statin product was trumpeted recently in the press where they found that there wasn't a single report of pain or stiffness that was attributed to the statin use. All those pains were arthritis or over use/ stressed joints, but not their medication NO WAY ! Of course NICE and PHE lapped it up.

Perhaps if more GPs used the Yellow Card system then data would reflect a true account of side effects of a drug but Kendrick says that less than 5% of GPs use the system.

 

[seanj67]

Wow your doctor is pretty enlightened.. I rarely, if ever, have heard of a GP that says that.

I like my doctor, he also said that intermittent fasting is a great way to loose weight - he's lost a load himself. When I see him he takes the time to explain results in detail and in terms I can understand.

 

[bulkbiker]

I like my doctor, he also said that intermittent fasting is a great way to loose weight - he's lost a load himself. When I see him he takes the time to explain results in detail and in terms I can understand.

Sounds great... please hang on to him..

 

[AtkinsMo]

@Moggely Just carry on doing what you are doing. It takes a while, maybe a couple of years, for your HDL to go up and Triglicerides to drop, you will soon have a ratio below 4, the healthy place to be. I’ve been LCHF for about 7 years. Yes, I call myself ‘Atkinsmo’ because I think Dr Atkins was right all along, much vilified but ultimately he was correct. His ‘Atkins Foundation’ financed much of the good solid research so that we finally have robust studies that prove beyond any doubt that his theories were correct. I don’t follow the current ‘Atkins Diet’ as promoted by the Atkins Corporation, with it’s shakes, bars and meal replacements. I just eat real food. I don’t miss sweet things or cereal based foods one bit.
But I get inspiration from Tim Noakes, Zoe Harcombe, Aseem Malhotra and the rest.
I love reading the medical / diet books, and follow Malcolm Kendrick. His books, ‘The Great Cholesterol Con’ and ‘Doctoring Data’ are really insightful. If I wasn’t 65 I think I’d be embarking on a new career, but I settle for keeping me and mine as healthy and hearty as I can.

 

[Moggely]

@Moggely Just carry on doing what you are doing. It takes a while, maybe a couple of years, for your HDL to go up and Triglicerides to drop, you will soon have a ratio below 4, the healthy place to be. I’ve been LCHF for about 7 years. Yes, I call myself ‘Atkinsmo’ because I think Dr Atkins was right all along, much vilified but ultimately he was correct. His ‘Atkins Foundation’ financed much of the good solid research so that we finally have robust studies that prove beyond any doubt that his theories were correct. I don’t follow the current ‘Atkins Diet’ as promoted by the Atkins Corporation, with it’s shakes, bars and meal replacements. I just eat real food. I don’t miss sweet things or cereal based foods one bit.
But I get inspiration from Tim Noakes, Zoe Harcombe, Aseem Malhotra and the rest.
I love reading the medical / diet books, and follow Malcolm Kendrick. His books, ‘The Great Cholesterol Con’ and ‘Doctoring Data’ are really insightful. If I wasn’t 65 I think I’d be embarking on a new career, but I settle for keeping me and mine as healthy and hearty as I can.

@AtkinsMo Yes i'm not going to worry about cholesterol there is so much hype about it all. I remember doing Atkins years ago though i never had diabetes then just wanted to lose weight. But the new one with shakes and all that stuff i don't care for. Like you i eat real food and will learn to put up with the odd day now and again that doesn't explain a high reading. I also have read Tim Noakes and a few others.