Cholesterol

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Stoobey

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hey Folks,

I hope you are well, It's that time of year again, diabetic review.... I had my results today and it was mostly good news, Hba1c was 28, almost steady as it's been 27 for the past two years, however, my cholesterol has shot up to 5.5, which is not so good news.

I can hazard a guess as to why it's so high, my love of cheese, since the start of covid I've been working from home and this looks to continue until early next year, at least. I have gotten into the very bad habit of munching on cheese when hungry (the fridge is a short distance away from the desk), so I need to cut this out (Why are the things we love, so bad for us...).

Does anyone test cholesterol at home? Is it something which is useful to monitor? Any advice on which kits are best? Many thanks for any comments 🙂
 
Sadly cheese does that to me as well.
I've never tested at home though.
 
I have tested through online companies which have been very accurate. I also have a veri-q lipid analyser. I can get quite different results from that from one minute to the next so I’ve given up using that x
 
I eat masses of cheese and cream and fatty meat along with low carb and my cholesterol is still reducing slightly.
 
Thank you, I think I'm over analysing and then over reacting..... I got very obsessed with blood sugar numbers when diagnosed, to the point where if I didn't get perfect numbers I'd beat myself up and then get depressed.

Knee jerk reaction, get a bad number, obsess over it, it's not been a normal 18 months, with lockdowns and working from home, I've gotten into bad habits, just need to cut them out, it's not rocket science.

The mental side of being a diabetic is often glossed over, I'm not very good at having a score against my head, always feel it's not good enough, must do better, for those of you who find the happy balance between physical and mental wellbeing, I salute you.
 
"Thank you, I think I'm over analysing and then over reacting..... I got very obsessed with blood sugar numbers when diagnosed, to the point where if I didn't get perfect numbers I'd beat myself up and then get depressed."

As a perfectionist, it can be very difficult and it certainly took me a while to resolve it. That makes it sound like I have, but it is an ongoing "debate" with myself which is better than the "struggle" it was initially.
I have found the Freestyle Libre monitoring system has really helped with how I approach it because the target range is wider (3.9-10) and I am aiming to get 70% or more in range. This is a much better way of looking at it because there are so many factors which affect BG that we have no control over, so beating yourself up when you have done your best is counter productive. Using the Libre has changed my whole outlook on it and I now treat it more like a slow moving computer game rather than worry about individual readings, I am looking to get a personal best on my Time in Range (TIR) stats. I know that I can't get personal best results all the time, just like an athlete can't, but when I get close, I make an extra effort to push for one and when my results are a bit off the boil (but still within the 70%), I am a bit more relaxed about it all. There is an inevitable element of ebb and flow to it and the Libre has really helped me to accept that. Two weeks ago I had a personal worst result of 80% TIR (still totally acceptable as above 70%, but I wasn't exactly happy, even though I was doing my best). Today I have a new personal best of 95% for the last 7 days with no hypos at all so I am a very happy bunny. Not done anything different to 2 weeks ago but my body is responding better for some reason. I know it won't last but I am enjoying the glow of success for now.
 
Didn't know you could test cholesterol at home, wouldnt bother anyway as happy just to have it checked at annual review.

Like cheese always have, always had good cholesterol levels since time of testing, guess is if you over consume any food it's going to effect your body in some way, that's just the way it is.
 
Stooby, firstly your hba1c is astounding, something to be really proud off. Which signals that your diet on the whole must be pretty darn good. Sometimes I believe due to a complex relationship between a diabetics resistance to hormone insulin and cholesterol we can have elevated cholesterol for reasons beyond our control. I’m not sure the reasons for this are fully understood and I may be talking out of my backside, but I’m sure that’s what I’ve heard. Do you know the rest of your lipid profile? The ratios between good and bad cholesterol. Mine are all perfect, in fact better than perfect but my total cholesterol is still at 5. I too became very obsessed with numbers, BG, BP lipids in fact anything I can medically test myself for, I pretty much do. I’ve even had to stop wearing my I watch as I became obsessed with heart rate, and the ecg function on it is what finally tipped me over the edge. Non of us are perfect, not even most non diabetics, most of the general population I’m sure if tested the way we are would have at least one thing a bit off. All we can do is follow the advice, and do what we can to manage our conditions. I wish I knew how to stop this eating away at me, but what I do know is that it serves no purpose xx
 
EmmaL76 said:
Stooby, firstly your hba1c is astounding, something to be really proud off. Which signals that your diet on the whole must be pretty darn good.
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I completely agree that @Stooby has an amazing HbA1C.
However, HbA1C only measured blood glucose - it does not measure how good a diet is. For example, I have read on other forums of people with type 2 adopting a pure carnivore diet. They had great HbA1C but signs of starting to suffer from vitamin C deficiency and of symptoms of bowel cancer. Let's remember carbs (or lack of) are only one part of our diet.

(Sorry, I have a tendency to be pedantic and don't want to detract from Stooby's amazing Hb)A1c.
 
EmmaL76 said:
I have tested through online companies which have been very accurate. I also have a veri-q lipid analyser. I can get quite different results from that from one minute to the next so I’ve given up using that x
Click to expand...
Emmal76 how do you get your cholesterol tested on line .
 
helli said:
I completely agree that @Stooby has an amazing HbA1C.
However, HbA1C only measured blood glucose - it does not measure how good a diet is. For example, I have read on other forums of people with type 2 adopting a pure carnivore diet. They had great HbA1C but signs of starting to suffer from vitamin C deficiency and of symptoms of bowel cancer. Let's remember carbs (or lack of) are only one part of our diet.

(Sorry, I have a tendency to be pedantic and don't want to detract from Stooby's amazing Hb)A1c.
Click to expand...
I kinda mean from the typical type 2 perspective, good in the fact that the diet is doing what is should for BG but yes totally agree it’s not an over all picture so my wording could of been better. Thats why I mentioned the rest of the lipid profile, can be a better indication. Also vitamin deficiency’s can be tricky to manage when on restricted diets. Don’t apologise you are 100% accurate in what your saying and it’s very important to take everything into consideration… you do know that now I absolutely must get my vit c checked :D Thanks for sweeping up the mess that my posts sometime leave behind😳
 
mage 1 said:
Emmal76 how do you get your cholesterol tested on line .
Click to expand...
Various companies online, thriva, let’s get checked, medichecks. Usually one of them has a discount code. Probs gets one for about £30-£40. They send you a sample bottle, finger pricking stuff and you have to fill a little bottle. It’s quite a bit of blood so can be tricky but I managed it. My one from thriva exactly matched the doctors so I was pretty confident. They email you the results. I set up a 3 month plan, do a1c, lipids, kidney function etc plus iron. Mainly because since diagnosis I’ve had very little testing done and never had a review.
 
EmmaL76 said:
Various companies online, thriva, let’s get checked, medichecks. Usually one of them has a discount code. Probs gets one for about £30-£40. They send you a sample bottle, finger pricking stuff and you have to fill a little bottle. It’s quite a bit of blood so can be tricky but I managed it. My one from thriva exactly matched the doctors so I was pretty confident. They email you the results. I set up a 3 month plan, do a1c, lipids, kidney function etc plus iron. Mainly because since diagnosis I’ve had very little testing done and never had a review.
Click to expand...
Thank you I will look into this as you my doc is a bit reluctant to give me blood test
 
heh I went for a walk and wanted to come back to apologise for sounding so whinny with my post, yes I am very happy with my hbA1c, diet is a good mix of meat, fish, veg, fruit and salad, I seem to be able to tolerate some carbs, for example I had one shredded wheat for breakfast, with hazlenut milk and my scores were 4.7 before breakfast and 4.7 again two hours later.

Not that the diet is perfect, as mentioned way too much cheese munching, all times of day and while we were going through lockdowns, alcohol consumption shot up (last winter was dark and miserable for so many).

One thing I would say has helped me a lot, walking, I make sure to walk around every meal time, I try and hit around 20k steps a day, I'm not saying it's for everyone, but it really helps control my numbers and improves my mental health no end (especially working from home).

My review was over the phone so I didn't get many details, I know the bad cholesterol was higher than the good, so need to balance this out. I overreacted, just cut down on the bad stuff, no need to panic, although I am interested in the online checking companies mentioned, thank you.
 
Stoobey said:
Hey Folks,

I hope you are well, It's that time of year again, diabetic review.... I had my results today and it was mostly good news, Hba1c was 28, almost steady as it's been 27 for the past two years, however, my cholesterol has shot up to 5.5, which is not so good news.

I can hazard a guess as to why it's so high, my love of cheese, since the start of covid I've been working from home and this looks to continue until early next year, at least. I have gotten into the very bad habit of munching on cheese when hungry (the fridge is a short distance away from the desk), so I need to cut this out (Why are the things we love, so bad for us...).

Does anyone test cholesterol at home? Is it something which is useful to monitor? Any advice on which kits are best? Many thanks for any comments 🙂
Click to expand...
Hi, the two most used predictors of cardio vascular disease ( ‘ratios’ ) are Total Cholesterol minus HDL and Total Cholesterol divided by HDL. The first ratio gives a rough figure of how much ‘bad chol’ you have, mainly LDL, and the second ratio estimates if you have enough of the ‘good’ stuff to keep the ‘ bad’ stuff in check. Total Chols minus HDL is now thought to be the best predictor of cvd. The optimal target is non-HDL under 3.37, higher numbers are worse. There is also a formula used by the NHS to calculate whether you need a Statin to help control the ‘bad’ cholesterol. Over 10% chance of a heart attack in the next 10 years and they recommend a statin. As soon as you enter Type 2 Diabetes in the formula your risk zooms up because 85% of us die of cvd in the end and a Type 2 has a 20% chance of a heart attack in the first 7 years. The formula is Qrisk 3 and is easily found online.
Edwin Biermann conducted important research in this area in the 1990s, he found that the tipping point for the acceleration of cvd risk came at Total Chols over 5. When he studied diabetics, the same tipping point for the acceleration of cvd came at Total Chols over 4. Hence the traditional recommendation of Chols under 5 for non-diabetics and under 4 for diabetics.
 
My cholesterol is 6.8! Was shocked as I've always been under 5. I'm now on a diet of fruit, benecol products, veg & next to none saturated fats.
I'm thinking about retesting my cholesterol at home as my next test isn't due until next year & i need to know that what I'm doing is working.
 
Burylancs said:
Hi, the two most used predictors of cardio vascular disease ( ‘ratios’ ) are Total Cholesterol minus HDL and Total Cholesterol divided by HDL. The first ratio gives a rough figure of how much ‘bad chol’ you have, mainly LDL, and the second ratio estimates if you have enough of the ‘good’ stuff to keep the ‘ bad’ stuff in check. Total Chols minus HDL is now thought to be the best predictor of cvd. The optimal target is non-HDL under 3.37, higher numbers are worse. There is also a formula used by the NHS to calculate whether you need a Statin to help control the ‘bad’ cholesterol. Over 10% chance of a heart attack in the next 10 years and they recommend a statin. As soon as you enter Type 2 Diabetes in the formula your risk zooms up because 85% of us die of cvd in the end and a Type 2 has a 20% chance of a heart attack in the first 7 years. The formula is Qrisk 3 and is easily found online.
Edwin Biermann conducted important research in this area in the 1990s, he found that the tipping point for the acceleration of cvd risk came at Total Chols over 5. When he studied diabetics, the same tipping point for the acceleration of cvd came at Total Chols over 4. Hence the traditional recommendation of Chols under 5 for non-diabetics and under 4 for diabetics.
Click to expand...
My tests results say my cholesterol is 6.8
Triglycerides is 0.9
LDL 4.5
HDL 1.9
Cholesterol - HDL ratio 3.6
I can't tell whether this is good or not. Dr just sent me info & basically left it at that.
 
Sugarcoated said:
My tests results say my cholesterol is 6.8
Triglycerides is 0.9
LDL 4.5
HDL 1.9
Cholesterol - HDL ratio 3.6
I can't tell whether this is good or not. Dr just sent me info & basically left it at that.
Click to expand...
Hi
Current recommendations are ....

LDL - 3 or below ( yours is 4.5)
Total minus HDL - below 4 ( yours is 4.9)
HDL - above 1 (yours is 1.9)

It looks like your HDL is working hard to control the LDL - and not quite succeeding. Dietary measures can reduce Total Chol by upto 10% so not really good enough. A Statin would soon knock your dodgy Lipid panel into shape.
 
Burylancs said:
Hi
Current recommendations are ....

LDL - 3 or below ( yours is 4.5)
Total minus HDL - below 4 ( yours is 4.9)
HDL - above 1 (yours is 1.9)

It looks like your HDL is working hard to control the LDL - and not quite succeeding. Dietary measures can reduce Total Chol by upto 10% so not really good enough. A Statin would soon knock your dodgy Lipid panel into shape.
Click to expand...
Am I understanding correctly? Do you mean that you can only reduce your total chol with diet by 10% so say I was 5.. I could only get down to 4.5 without help of a statin no matter what I ate? I’m genuinely not questioning you, I just did not know this.
 
I really didn't want to go on statins as i take so many tablets a day (89 per day) & just don't want to risk anymore side effects.
I read simvastatin causes muscle aches as i already get those, i don't want to make things worse.
I was hoping my strict diet would really bring it down naturally.
 
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