Deciphering Cholesterol figures?

[pjgtech]

Hi, so I got the results from my Latest HbA1c blood test, and happy with my latest result (41) bearing in mind I'm now not on medication, so only controlling via diet.
But my cholesterol has gone up (a bit) and I know I'll be having a telephone call soon to discus this with my HCP.
I know there is good cholesterol and there is bad cholesterol, but am a little confused about which is which and what is the really important figure to pick out, eg: Total cholesterol?
So trying to arm myself with info before the inevitable phone call, what do peeps think about these latest figures, see cholesterol numbers....


If it helps my last figures were:
Cholest Serum = was 5 (now 6,5)
Triglys = was 2.2 (now 2,45
HDL was 1.08 (now 1.4)
Cheers

 

[Bruce Stephens]

LDL is bad, HDL is good, triglycerides are much badder. (That's very much a summary, I suspect. I don't remember the details.)

 

[BobbleHat]

Cholesterol is a controversial topic. Cholesterol with diabetes even more so!

My sister is a practice nurse, and is the diabetes specialist for her GP (she is also T2 in remission herself). When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, my cholesterol was also raised and was stable but still raised at my last hba1c. (Total: 6.0/6.1). When itcwas applied to my QRisk score I was still less than 10% so not offered statins (which I was undecided about accepting anyway!)

It was my sister who said that to me that total cholesterol is less useful as a health marker than the ratio. And your ratio on that form is normal (mainly because your HDL 'good' cholesterol is above average).

My understanding is that high triglycerides are of particular note too, especially for us diabetics as they can damage our pancreas and are generally caused by high carb intake.

You've just lost quite a significant amount of weight on the pathway to remission too. Triglycerides are stored in adipose tissue so can be quite elevated after a period of weight loss. That could be an argument for a wait and see approach - see if they settle as your weight loss stabilises.

I'm not a medical expert (well I am but in pregnancy/babies, not in the field of diabetes/cholesterol other than by lived experience!!) but that's my take on your results based on my own reading/advice from my sister about cholesterol.

 

[pjgtech]

Thank you very much. That is very useful to know.
I was given statins about 18 months ago and it almost crippled me, had awful muscle pains and I reckon lost about 80% of my mobility (from someone that had fairly good normal mobility). They tried me on 3 different ones over six months but all were terrible (for me). It then took me 6 months(after stopping the statins) to get anything like normal again, so I am very, very, very reluctant to try statins again. Even now, well over a year later I am still not back to normal, with knee aches that I never had before taking statins.
So just trying to gather info as best I can, cheers.

 

[counsellorneil]

@pjgtech this will probably sound weird, but will share my experience. I’ve been on avorstatins for years at 40mg daily, but wanted to try and reduce the quantity. Thankfully I was not having any adverse reactions as some, including yourself, do. I started taking a teaspoon of Amla powder daily mixed in with matcha tea every morning and three months later my cholesterol levels dropped. I got approval to half my statin dose to 20mg and next bloood test showed a further reduction, though only by a very small amount. I’d read Dr Greger book how not to age where he sited studies regarding the benefits of amla and cholesterol levels reduction. May or may not work for you.

Amla (dried Indian gooseberry) vs. Lipitor for Lowering Cholesterol | NutritionFacts.org

Extracts of amla (Indian gooseberry) were pitted head-to-head against cholesterol-lowering statin drugs and the blood thinners aspirin and Plavix. Indian

nutritionfacts.org

 

[AndBreathe]

Thank you very much. That is very useful to know.
I was given statins about 18 months ago and it almost crippled me, had awful muscle pains and I reckon lost about 80% of my mobility (from someone that had fairly good normal mobility). They tried me on 3 different ones over six months but all were terrible (for me). It then took me 6 months(after stopping the statins) to get anything like normal again, so I am very, very, very reluctant to try statins again. Even now, well over a year later I am still not back to normal, with knee aches that I never had before taking statins.
So just trying to gather info as best I can, cheers.

Have you had any cardiac or circulation issues in the past, or now?

I's urge you to do quite a bit of research on lipids and come to your own conclusions. Cholesterol can be a polarising subject (I'm not a fan), but if, after your research, you are keen to reduce your cholesterol, there are alternatives to statins these days, so don't feel boxed into a corner. If necessary, you could ask for a referral to a lipids clinic.

My only comments would be that if you are losing, or have recently bee losing weight, that cab skew cholesterol numbers, as can fasting for a protracted period before your test. Your triglycerides are also a bit higher than desired. Are you eating lots of carbs at the moment?

Do any of your family members also have elevated cholesterol?

 

[harbottle]

LDL is bad, HDL is good, triglycerides are much badder. (That's very much a summary, I suspect. I don't remember the details.)

LDL is vital for the human body, it's certainly bad, but if it gets oxidised it becomes dangerous - the particles aren't removed properly and get stuck in artery walls. (Large LDL particles are fine, apparently.)
This happens with inflammation (Common in people with T2D).
Some research I believe shows that low markers of inflammation (Such as high trigs) and high LDL may not be a problem.
Low carb diets often lead to higher LDL, but there is apparently an argument that if other markers are OK, then in may not be an issue (However, I'm not sure there's a consensus on this)

High HDL is not necessarily good, as well.

 

[pjgtech]

Have you had any cardiac or circulation issues in the past, or now?

I's urge you to do quite a bit of research on lipids and come to your own conclusions. Cholesterol can be a polarising subject (I'm not a fan), but if, after your research, you are keen to reduce your cholesterol, there are alternatives to statins these days, so don't feel boxed into a corner. If necessary, you could ask for a referral to a lipids clinic.

My only comments would be that if you are losing, or have recently bee losing weight, that cab skew cholesterol numbers, as can fasting for a protracted period before your test. Your triglycerides are also a bit higher than desired. Are you eating lots of carbs at the moment?

Do any of your family members also have elevated cholesterol?

Hi, no never had any heart probs and no not eating lots of carbs, but yes have lost load of weight 15kg ish in last 6 months.
Cheers

 

[Loobyloo]

I had exactly the same happen on a low carb diet and weight loss. It was my HDL that rose. I have similar figures to you (triglycerides lower) and my GP commented ratio fine so hasn't recommended statins. I know some GPs only look at total cholesterol and not ratio and give statins to almost anyone over 50. Depends on the views of your GP it seems as i have seen some people well under 5 total cholestererol given statins.