Food Dilemma

[Bex42]

Hi,

I was diagnosed in October 2024 with type 2, hba1c of 56. I had my repeat bloods done last month and they come down to 46.4. Frustratingly my cholesterol (4.99) and triglycerides (3.59) are quite high.
Has anyone experienced this kind of yo-yoing? Feel like food is now my enemy as one thing I do brings my blood sugar better but my cholesterol worse. Don’t even feel ill so it’s like it’s come from nowhere and I have no idea what to do with it all. Need to find the balance but my head is all over. I’m vegetarian so my diet is restricted to a point.
Sorry for the mini rant but hope people on here understand more than people in my life who don’t seem to get it.

 

[Drummer]

Cholesterol is something made, for the most part, in your body - it is a major component in your nervous system, cell membranes it is a precursor for hormones such as oestrogen, cortisol and testosterone, it is essential for the production of vitamin D and for digestion, particularly of fats and it acts as a transporting vehicle for nutrients to move them around the body.
These functions are part of most Biology syllabuses in senior school, yet cholesterol is considered a bad thing, but low cholesterol levels are associated with shorter life expectancy - I downloaded a chart published by the BMJ to show to one nurse who was particularly pushy about statins.
I have requested information from various GPs who have repeated the cholesterol is bad belief to me, and so far none have provided it.
My cholesterol has come down in the time since I was diagnosed. It is now almost at the same level as the people who lived longest - I checked last year.
If you feel anxious about it I suggest looking for proof - not just the endless repetition of the claim.

 

[Inka]

@Bex42 It’s completely understandable you’re worried about your cholesterol and trigs. You could try adjusting your diet. I reduced my cholesterol by dietary changes. I did this using a very low fat plant-based diet. My total cholesterol reduced very quickly. I used a lot of recipes from Forks Over Knives, and also the Esselstyns.

 

[rebrascora]

Congrats on your HbA1c reduction. Have you done that by losing weight? If so, cholesterol can rise during the weight loss phase, so perhaps it will reduce by your next test. The trigs being so high is a bit of a concern though and if they weren't so elevated, your total cholesterol would probably be well within range. It might be worth doing a search on "what causes high trigycerides in women" and see if there is anything on the list which might apply to your situation and if so, if you can tackle any of those factors.

 

[Leadinglights]

I wouldn't panic too much about your cholesterol at the moment as your body need to adjust to a new lower carb way of eating and that often helps reduce cholesterol anyway 5 is just over the 4 that is what they want people to be.
This link has a vegetarian meal plan and recipes so you may find some ideas there. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

 

[JimmyBlue]

@Bex42 hi and welcome to the forum. Totally understand your concern as I have recently had a discussion with my diabetes nurse at the start of March about whether I should take cholesterol drugs due to a total cholesterol level of 6.4 mmol/L. I have pushed back against her approach and I am currently using diet plus exercise to try and make the necessary changes that will bring down my current level. I also drink, on a daily basis, a plant sterol type yoghurt drink (Benecol is the one I use) which is supposed to support in the reduction of cholesterol. I plan on getting a cholesterol test before I go back to see the nurse in June.
I also run three times a week (2 x 10K and 1x 6K) which is an increase on where I was before my tests in Jan. I am hoping that all of this will have a positive impact.

 

[rebrascora]

I also meant to add that I use a fibre drink supplement both to help with digestive health but also cholesterol. I just use a combination of psyllium husk and chia seeds. Both are high in soluble fibre and I add them to a flavoured water, give them a stir and a minute or two to absorb the water, another stir and then drink it down. Never had such happy bowels as well as cholesterol staying pretty much the same for the last 6 years despite eating lots more cheese and cream etc.

 

[harbottle]

Cholesterol is something made, for the most part, in your body - it is a major component in your nervous system, cell membranes it is a precursor for hormones such as oestrogen, cortisol and testosterone, it is essential for the production of vitamin D and for digestion, particularly of fats and it acts as a transporting vehicle for nutrients to move them around the body.
These functions are part of most Biology syllabuses in senior school, yet cholesterol is considered a bad thing, but low cholesterol levels are associated with shorter life expectancy -

I'm not sure this true. Various people have looked at the research that came up with this conclusion and identified that the participants who had shorter life expectancy had other conditions that led to lower cholesterol (Such as cancer.)

 

[Drummer]

I'm not sure this true. Various people have looked at the research that came up with this conclusion and identified that the participants who had shorter life expectancy had other conditions that led to lower cholesterol (Such as cancer.)

My notes are rather fragmentary I'm afraid, but the Minnesota Coronary experiment was terminated early as the lowering of cholesterol levels was showing an increase in the death rate, and the BMJ reported an increasing death rate whilst the cholesterol levels reduced when the participants used corn oil as their source of dietary fat.
Some years ago there was a significant reduction in taking statins in France and an increase in the death rate was forecast. As it turned out, the number in the forecast was correct, but it was a decrease rather than an increase.
I tend not to keep and repeat things I find on line as I think it only serves to make things more obscure, having to follow a trail back and back to find the original article. I have thought it odd, over the years when reports and articles vanish completely, but I put it down to my antique skills rather than devise a conspiracy theory.
My memory isn't what it was, but I do remember laughing at the presumed discomfort of those finding that their research was not aligning with accepted dogma on more than a few occasions.

 

[Inka]

That’s an old study from decades ago, I think. Both groups had a fair amount of fat. Wasn’t it from when they thought polyunsaturated fats were good? Now the emphasis is more on monounsaturated fats anyway.

Moreover, a very low fat plant-based diet has been shown to have a positive effect on heart health.

 

[harbottle]

I'm thinking of getting a more detailed test - the ones the NHS use are very basic and don't give the whole picture.

My cholesterol is different on every test I have. It went up on the last one, not by much, but the surgery want to 'chat' about it. Nothing has changed in my diet, though. Trigs did go up as well, which was a surprise, as they've been very, very low for 3 years. (And they're still not 'high', about borderline.)

 

[LieB]

I'm thinking of getting a more detailed test - the ones the NHS use are very basic and don't give the whole picture.

My cholesterol is different on every test I have. It went up on the last one, not by much, but the surgery want to 'chat' about it. Nothing has changed in my diet, though. Trigs did go up as well, which was a surprise, as they've been very, very low for 3 years. (And they're still not 'high', about borderline.)

I don’t normally respond on non diabetic topics per se but I’ve been on something of a journey recently my lipid’s.

I’m fortunate to be able to utilise the private sector for my Diabetes management and my new consultant is old school but world renown and made quite an impression when he said to me “you’re managing your diabetes but you’re not managing your heart, and it’s not diabetes that kills you - heart attacks do”.

Now this was after me being on cloud 9 having achieved remission in a low period of time following my diagnosis. The NHS versus private sector is night and day. The one test I had done was described to me as a tailored suit for your heart to gauge my own personal cardiovascular state - and it is a CT cardio Angiogram but it’s done differently from the NHS.

What it gives is a map of your heart and all interconnected components (not at all medical terminology wise) but the results completely changed my treatment - had I gone on the NHS guidelines, I would have been treating the wrong problem. I love the NHS and what it stands for but the clinical pathway kicks in after you have a heart attack only for this kind of thing which is just plain wrong especially since prevention can accomplish so much.

If you can afford this kind of scan (the One Heart clinic at Harley Street does it) I would recommend it as it is gold standard in your Cv state.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear your cholesterol levels have risen @Bex42 . But well done on reducing your HbaA1c.

It’s perfectly natural for you to be concerned about elevated cholesterol. A huge amount of ‘gold standard’ RCT clinical trials the vast majority of which demonstrate that reducing cholesterol levels to the recommended ranges statistically reduces risk of heart disease.

Experts in the field, with decades of clinical and research experience who develop the guidelines have all the consistency of evidence they need. It’s probably sensible to heed their suggestions.

As others have said, there are things you can do in terms of tweaking your menu which can help somewhat. Statins (or ezetimibe) are also a proven cholesterol-lowering medication if you would value that support.