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What should my cholesterol be?

P

pinewood

Well-Known Member
Messages
792
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
So confused. I had a call from my GP surgery saying my cholesterol results were "out of range".

My total cholesterol is 4.7 and my LDL is 3.1 These appear in range according to my google results, are you supposed to be at a different number if T1?

When I asked what I could do the GP said I should just watch what I eat and exercise more but that if the results don't improve in 3 months I might need "treatment" - what does that mean? Drugs?

I am slim, my BMI is 20 which is well within in the healthy range, I exercise intensively 3-5 times per week and generally watch what I eat and eat pretty healthily, even more so since my T1 diagnosis. Have never smoked and very rarely drink. Feel at a bit of a loss!
 
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These are the ideal cholesterol levels that they want people with diabetes to aim for:

  • Your total cholesterol level should be below 4.0mmol/l.
  • LDL levels should be less than 2.0mmol/l.
  • HDL levels should be 1.0mmol/l or above in men and 1.2mmol/l or above in women.
  • Triglyceride levels should be 1.7mmol/l or less.
 
noblehead said:
These are the ideal cholesterol levels that they want people with diabetes to aim for:

  • Your total cholesterol level should be below 4.0mmol/l.
  • LDL levels should be less than 2.0mmol/l.
  • HDL levels should be 1.0mmol/l or above in men and 1.2mmol/l or above in women.
  • Triglyceride levels should be 1.7mmol/l or less.
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Thanks, Noblehead! I seem to be way out....very worrying. Looks like I'll need to be even more careful about what I eat and try to exercise even more.
 
pinewood said:
Thanks, Noblehead! I seem to be way out....very worrying. Looks like I'll need to be even more careful about what I eat and try to exercise even more.
Click to expand...


Exercise is good :)
 
pinewood said:
No, she didn't tell me any others unfortunately. I'll try and find out.
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Ask for a print out of your blood test results. They will give you one. They may even give you previous ones so you can compare. Doctors are now beginning to look at the ratios rather than individual lipid levels, and the Total Cholesterol level is being discredited as an indicator of anything sinister. Once you have all the results, if you come back and post them, someone will be able to advise you better.
 
I was told mine were dangerously high, over 7.0 mmol/l, they didnt give me any paper or proof, so I can't really benchmark it against anything so I don't know how serious or what impacts it makes, just some of the things my doctor fails to tell me.
 
pinewood said:
So confused. I had a call from my GP surgery saying my cholesterol results were "out of range".

My total cholesterol is 4.7 and my LDL is 3.1 These appear in range according to my google results, are you supposed to be at a different number if T1?

When I asked what I could do the GP said I should just watch what I eat and exercise more but that if the results don't improve in 3 months I might need "treatment" - what does that mean? Drugs?

I am slim, my BMI is 20 which is well within in the healthy range, I exercise intensively 3-5 times per week and generally watch what I eat and eat pretty healthily, even more so since my T1 diagnosis. Have never smoked and very rarely drink. Feel at a bit of a loss!
Click to expand...
As Bluetit says, many doctors now think the ratios are more important. (or even other tests like Apo A) in assessing risks. So if you have a high HDL that may still be seen as ok - the issues are not clear at present - recently one consultant told me things were fine because my high HDL made my ratios good, even though total chol was much higher than yours (mine has been much higher than yours for years ) - but another was of a different view and wanted me to take statins.
 
I dug out the results of a health assessment I had carried out last year (about 6 months before I was diagnosed with T1) and my triglycerides were 0.70, HDL 1.30, LDL 2.59 and total cholesterol 3.41.

That time last year I definitely ate less healthily and exercised less.

So I can only come to the conclusion that T1 has increased my cholesterol .....
 
my nurse said being t1 highers your cholesterol, it was said in a few years I may have a tablet to help keep mine down. I havnt been able to find out what your cholesterol is actually meant to be so don't think anyone actually knows although less is probably better
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Ask for a print out of your blood test results. They will give you one. They may even give you previous ones so you can compare. Doctors are now beginning to look at the ratios rather than individual lipid levels, and the Total Cholesterol level is being discredited as an indicator of anything sinister. Once you have all the results, if you come back and post them, someone will be able to advise you better.
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Yes, I think you're entitled to a printout of all these tests and you should definitely ask for them. I think if you ask they have to do it.

Getting mine (at the suggestion if someone on this forum) was life changing.

The cholesterol qu is nuanced. When you low carb, initially all cholesterol goes up, both HDL (excellent) and LDL (which they call bad, tho it isn't), and triglycerides (fats in your blood) fall (good). But after six months or so total and LDL should come down again. If you still have high LDL after six months, either you decide that because you have high HDL and low trigs you're not going to worry about it, or you can try swapping out some sat fats for olive oil/avocado.

I'll post some good links here in minute. See generally Kenneth Sikaris [oops I spelt him wrong, corrected now]on youtube; also the second half of this post from Peter Attia.

http://eatingacademy.com/cholesterol-2/random-finding-plus-pi

Start with the para that begins: 'And contrary to what some of you might think'.

Also this, similar: http://www.lecturepad.org/index.php...mous-case-291-can-losing-weight-worsen-lipids

The whole site is by Thomas Dayspring, who I gather is a humongous cheese in the field.

Edit: OOPS! I mis-spelt Ken Sikaris. Here he is:
 
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pinewood said:
I dug out the results of a health assessment I had carried out last year (about 6 months before I was diagnosed with T1) and my triglycerides were 0.70, HDL 1.30, LDL 2.59 and total cholesterol 3.41.

That time last year I definitely ate less healthily and exercised less.

So I can only come to the conclusion that T1 has increased my cholesterol .....
Click to expand...
What do you eat when you eat healthily?
 
Totto said:
What do you eat when you eat healthily?
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I generally have porridge or one slice of low carb seeded toast for breakfast. A chicken or salmon salad with lots of vegetables for lunch. Dinner is usually no more than 40g-50g of carbs and lean meat. I snack on nuts and dark chocolate. May have yoghurt for dessert occasionally. I do eat out or have a take-away once or twice a week (where dinner is then obviously a lot more than 50g carbs) but I keep my blood sugar levels tightly controlled and have a low HbA1C.
 
pinewood said:
I generally have porridge or one slice of low carb seeded toast for breakfast. A chicken or salmon salad with lots of vegetables for lunch. Dinner is usually no more than 40g-50g of carbs and lean meat. I snack on nuts and dark chocolate. May have yoghurt for dessert occasionally. I do eat out or have a take-away once or twice a week (where dinner is then obviously a lot more than 50g carbs) but I keep my blood sugar levels tightly controlled and have a low HbA1C.
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It seems you are very low in fat intake?
 
pinewood said:
Thanks, Noblehead! I seem to be way out....very worrying. Looks like I'll need to be even more careful about what I eat and try to exercise even more.
Click to expand...
I don't think those numbers should be very worrying at all.
We are all very different.
You exercise you eat healthily and your numbers are not bad at all but .... there are not a set of magic numbers that can be set on a dial that we should or could all meet.
I find it a little ridiculous that the medical profession .... think .... that such and such a number is ideal .... they don't really know is what they mean.
So to add to your health problems they now increase the worry.
 
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