Diagnosis blood test results - Cholesterol, HDL, LDL? What do people eat to sort these?

[Windy]

Morning, I've read the blood test results on the bottom of my DESMOND invitation letter. How have other people addressed their choleserol, HDL and LDL? I think I know what to eat to address my HbA1C hopefully.

• HbA1C - estimate of blood sugar over the last 3 months. Mine was 80mmol/mol at diagnosis, which feels bad. Google tells me that normal is 42 mmol/mol, prediabetes 42-47 mmol/mol and diabetic over 48mmol/mol. I've "de-carbohydrated" my diet by not eating bread etc. and am on metformin.
• Cholesterol 6.4 mmol/mol (under 5 is ok)
• HDL - good fat? 1.3 mmol/mol (over 1 is ok)
• LDL - bad fat? 4.1 mmol/mol (under 3 is ok)

The nurse asked me if I wanted drugs for my cholesterol etc or to tackle it with diet, and I went for diet. I'm a vegetarian (eat eggs, milk, cheese, but no fish, meat, chicken etc).

The NHS website says to eat more: "oily fish, like mackerel and salmon, brown rice, bread and pasta, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables

Try to eat less: meat pies, sausages and fatty meat, butter, lard and ghee, cream and hard cheese, like cheddar, cakes and biscuits, food that contains coconut oil or palm oil"

The ones in italics I don't eat anyway, or have cut out from my diet. I'm putting a teaspoon of butter in cauliflower mash, or 20g of mature cheddar in an omelette, try to have a 25g/palm sized portion of walnuts each day, omelette for breakfast, eating lower carb veggies and fruit, hummus, vegetable soups, and putting sprinkles of seeds in some food.

Am I doing the right stuff? I'm a bit conflicted as the Blood sugar diet recipe book has a list of store cupboard ingredient including: coconut oil, parmesan, cheddar, full fat yogurt. It's aimed at blood sugar, rather than cholesterol etc, but I assume I can use them in moderation?
Cheers, Sarah

 

[Leadinglights]

Morning, I've read the blood test results on the bottom of my DESMOND invitation letter. How have other people addressed their choleserol, HDL and LDL? I think I know what to eat to address my HbA1C hopefully.

• HbA1C - estimate of blood sugar over the last 3 months. Mine was 80mmol/mol at diagnosis, which feels bad. Google tells me that normal is 42 mmol/mol, prediabetes 42-47 mmol/mol and diabetic over 48mmol/mol. I've "de-carbohydrated" my diet by not eating bread etc. and am on metformin.
• Cholesterol 6.4 mmol/mol (under 5 is ok)
• HDL - good fat? 1.3 mmol/mol (over 1 is ok)
• LDL - bad fat? 4.1 mmol/mol (under 3 is ok)

The nurse asked me if I wanted drugs for my cholesterol etc or to tackle it with diet, and I went for diet. I'm a vegetarian (eat eggs, milk, cheese, but no fish, meat, chicken etc).

The NHS website says to eat more: "oily fish, like mackerel and salmon, brown rice, bread and pasta, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables

Try to eat less: meat pies, sausages and fatty meat, butter, lard and ghee, cream and hard cheese, like cheddar, cakes and biscuits, food that contains coconut oil or palm oil"

The ones in italics I don't eat anyway, or have cut out from my diet. I'm putting a teaspoon of butter in cauliflower mash, or 20g of mature cheddar in an omelette, try to have a 25g/palm sized portion of walnuts each day, omelette for breakfast, eating lower carb veggies and fruit, hummus, vegetable soups, and putting sprinkles of seeds in some food.

Am I doing the right stuff? I'm a bit conflicted as the Blood sugar diet recipe book has a list of store cupboard ingredient including: coconut oil, parmesan, cheddar, full fat yogurt. It's aimed at blood sugar, rather than cholesterol etc, but I assume I can use them in moderation?
Cheers, Sarah

Many people find that by lowering carbohydrates their cholesterol will also come down so there is every chance for that to happen without paying too much attention to reducing the 'fats' from what you normally would have.
The body needs cholesterol for all sorts of things synthesis of vitamins and hormones, tissue healing etc.

 

[Windy]

Thanks @Leadinglights. Fingers crossed that my improved diet will do the job, and as I lose weight, my numbers will be going in the right direction.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Saturated fats pushed my bad LDL through the ceiling.
I avoid them were possible.

 

[ianf0ster]

Saturated fats made my Cholesterol ratios (at least the ones that matter) much better.
Triglycerides almost halved and HDL almost doubled.
Some find that LCHPMF also lowers their LDL, but it didn't for me (it increased it). However after researching the subject I'm confident that my LDL is now mainly the large fluffy kind (good) rather than the oxidised/glycated small dense kind (bad).

 

[rebrascora]

I eat lots of saturated fats (double cream, cheese, fatty meat, pork scratchings etc.) and my ratios are good and overall cholesterol has been consistently declining by a small amount each year since diagnosis although I am at the stage that I would be happy for them to remain static now on 4.5.

 

[Windy]

Thanks, I'll not go mad on cheese etc, but I'm happy still to be eating some of it. I'll see how my numbers look next time I have a blood test - I have a three month diabetes review early next year, I'll ask then.

 

[NotWorriedAtAll]

I eat lots of saturated fats (double cream, cheese, fatty meat, pork scratchings etc.) and my ratios are good and overall cholesterol has been consistently declining by a small amount each year since diagnosis although I am at the stage that I would be happy for them to remain static now on 4.5.

Same here.
I found that as long as I ate low carb for me plus fats my cholesterol etc didn't improve much. But once I dropped the carb intake to 20g or fewer so my body changed over to using fat for fuel then I was able to eat saturated fats in quantity and my body settled to normal readings for everything.
I avoid polyunsaturated fats and only eat saturated ones. I have a loaf of bread in the bread maker now but it is made from high fibre, high fat and very low carbs so I don't feel I am missing out on anything. Mainly because I am eating anything I like - just not carbs and not dodgy processed oils.

 

[Burylancs]

Morning, I've read the blood test results on the bottom of my DESMOND invitation letter. How have other people addressed their choleserol, HDL and LDL? I think I know what to eat to address my HbA1C hopefully.

• HbA1C - estimate of blood sugar over the last 3 months. Mine was 80mmol/mol at diagnosis, which feels bad. Google tells me that normal is 42 mmol/mol, prediabetes 42-47 mmol/mol and diabetic over 48mmol/mol. I've "de-carbohydrated" my diet by not eating bread etc. and am on metformin.
• Cholesterol 6.4 mmol/mol (under 5 is ok)
• HDL - good fat? 1.3 mmol/mol (over 1 is ok)
• LDL - bad fat? 4.1 mmol/mol (under 3 is ok)

The nurse asked me if I wanted drugs for my cholesterol etc or to tackle it with diet, and I went for diet. I'm a vegetarian (eat eggs, milk, cheese, but no fish, meat, chicken etc).

The NHS website says to eat more: "oily fish, like mackerel and salmon, brown rice, bread and pasta, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables

Try to eat less: meat pies, sausages and fatty meat, butter, lard and ghee, cream and hard cheese, like cheddar, cakes and biscuits, food that contains coconut oil or palm oil"

The ones in italics I don't eat anyway, or have cut out from my diet. I'm putting a teaspoon of butter in cauliflower mash, or 20g of mature cheddar in an omelette, try to have a 25g/palm sized portion of walnuts each day, omelette for breakfast, eating lower carb veggies and fruit, hummus, vegetable soups, and putting sprinkles of seeds in some food.

Am I doing the right stuff? I'm a bit conflicted as the Blood sugar diet recipe book has a list of store cupboard ingredient including: coconut oil, parmesan, cheddar, full fat yogurt. It's aimed at blood sugar, rather than cholesterol etc, but I assume I can use them in moderation?
Cheers, Sarah

Hi, the currently accepted best predictor of cardio vascular disease is Total Cholesterol minus HDL. This gives a number for the amount of 'bad' cholesterol ( mainly LDL and vLDL- fragments). The recommended number for this is under 4 ( yours is 5.1) but the Mayo Clinic recommends an optimal number of under 3.37. Controlling cholesterol is very important for us because having been dxed with Type 2 Diabetes we are basically in a foot race with cvd.

 

[Windy]

Thanks @Burylancs. Not what I wanted to hear, but what I needed to hear.
The brakes are on with my previously terrible diet and no exercise regime. I've rid the house of all the bad food that I couldn't say no to, I've been dieting and going out for walks and cycle rides to get some exercise.
Getting the diagnosis of diabetes was the shot across the bows that I needed to have a long, hard look at myself and my health. Hopefully, I can get myself in a better place as I'm well overweight and that won't be helping with my cholesterol levels.

 

[rebrascora]

I think many of us knew that our diet needed improvement and our weight reduced prior to diagnosis, but didn't have the impetus needed to do something about it.... until we were told we were diabetic.
I'm not sure my current diet is quite what I would have had in mind as being "healthier" but it is certainly making me feel good now.... stabilising my glucose levels and making me feel fitter and healthier than I have in years and giving me a waistline which enables me to fit into clothes that I bought in my 20s.
Odd that the food group (FAT) which the NHS advises against, should be the one which has made me feel so much better and improved my cholesterol and diabetes and disordered eating!!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

The brakes are on with my previously terrible diet and no exercise regime. I've rid the house of all the bad food that I couldn't say no to, I've been dieting and going out for walks and cycle rides to get some exercise.
Getting the diagnosis of diabetes was the shot across the bows that I needed to have a long, hard look at myself and my health. Hopefully, I can get myself in a better place as I'm well overweight and that won't be helping with my cholesterol levels.

Sounds like you are making some really positive changes @Windy

Hope you see some encouraging changes in your numbers when you have your next set of checks, to help motivate you to keep going with the steps you have been taking 🙂