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Nikoletta

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Hello everyone 🙂 My name is Nikoletta and I'm new here.🙂 I've done a blood test earlier this week and my GP today send me a message saying my blood test results showed that my diabetes test was borderline raised and I'm at risk for diabetes 2.

I'm really worried now, is this pre-diabetes? She didn't give any values yet, I will call on Monday to check. She also mentioned my cholesterol is high 6.8. I'm 58 years old, 93kg so obese, my height 172cm and my BMI is 31.4. I'm a bit lost as I do not know what to do, what to eat to lower my cholesterol an reverse my pre-diabetes situation. I'm vegetarian and I'm eating a lot of carbs but I read somewhere that i need to follow the keto diet?! I will die eating only meat, fish etc, as I do have as well IBS(C) so with constipation. Anyone has any advise? Help!! Thank you!!
 
Nikoletta said:
Hello everyone 🙂 My name is Nikoletta and I'm new here.🙂 I've done a blood test earlier this week and my GP today send me a message saying my blood test results showed that my diabetes test was borderline raised and I'm at risk for diabetes 2.

I'm really worried now, is this pre-diabetes? She didn't give any values yet, I will call on Monday to check. She also mentioned my cholesterol is high 6.8. I'm 58 years old, 93kg so obese, my height 172cm and my BMI is 31.4. I'm a bit lost as I do not know what to do, what to eat to lower my cholesterol an reverse my pre-diabetes situation. I'm vegetarian and I'm eating a lot of carbs but I read somewhere that i need to follow the keto diet?! I will die eating only meat, fish etc, as I do have as well IBS(C) so with constipation. Anyone has any advise? Help!! Thank you!!
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Welcome to the forum. Yes it does mean prediabetes, your HbA1C will likely be between 42 and 47mmol/mol.
Many do find that reducing carbohydrates will also have a good effect on your cholesterol level.
This link has a vegetarian meal plan which is also low carb so there is absolutely no need to have to eat meat etc or indeed anything you don't like. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com
Many find that low carb helps with IBS symptoms as well.
Making sure you have plenty fluids and fibre helps with the constipation but there are things like chai seeds which help.
As you are only in the at risk zone than some modest changes may be all that is needed.
 
Leadinglights said:
Welcome to the forum. Yes it does mean prediabetes, your HbA1C will likely be between 42 and 47mmol/mol.
Many do find that reducing carbohydrates will also have a good effect on your cholesterol level.
This link has a vegetarian meal plan which is also low carb so there is absolutely no need to have to eat meat etc or indeed anything you don't like. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com
Many find that low carb helps with IBS symptoms as well.
Making sure you have plenty fluids and fibre helps with the constipation but there are things like chai seeds which help.
As you are only in the at risk zone than some modest changes may be all that is needed.
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thank you for the advises, I will have a look at the website. I don't know yet the values, I'll check on Monday.
 
I agree with @Leadinglights that lowering carbs can help many people lower cholesterol.
while the NHS link to lowering cholesterol does not mention carbs, I have seen it referenced elsewhere

I use rapeseed oil (I prefer cold pressed as that means no chemical extraction) and olive oil. Rapeseed is better for higher temperature cooking than olive oil, and it has a very good omega 3 to omega 6 ratio (which tends to be viewed as important for oils).

Personally I only specifically avoid the saturated fats and concentrate on eating unsaturated fats. I check food labels to avoid saturated fats
 
Welcome to the forum @Nikoletta

Don’t get unduly worried about the medical-sounding term ‘prediabetes’. It isn’t really a medical diagnosis or recognised condition as such, it’s just a shorthand term we have increasingly adopted from the US to suggest being ‘at risk of diabetes’.

It often just means that a person’s metabolism is beginning to struggle a little, and that a few tweaks and changes to their menu can help to steer glucose levels back into the normal range 🙂
 
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thank you @everydayupsanddowns , it make sense now, I got scared with my GPs saying this in a text message. I will change my way of eating as lately I went a bit off. I'm going to go privately now and have a consultation with an endocrinologist as I am a bit confused what kind of diet I need to follow, as I need to lower my cholesterol and "fix" that pre-diabetes situation. What is good to eat for lowering cholesterol is not good for the pre-diabetes situation, this is what I understood at list. There are so many contradicting advises out there and I'm getting confused.
 
Nikoletta said:
thank you @everydayupsanddowns , it make sense now, I got scared with my GPs saying this in a text message. I will change my way of eating as lately I went a bit off. I'm going to go privately now and have a consultation with an endocrinologist as I am a bit confused what kind of diet I need to follow, as I need to lower my cholesterol and "fix" that pre-diabetes situation. What is good to eat for lowering cholesterol is not good for the pre-diabetes situation, this is what I understood at list. There are so many contradicting advises out there and I'm getting confused.
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One thing to find out is not only what your cholesterol level is but the ratios of the HDL/LDL to total and triglycerides as for some people although the total may be higher than desirable but the ratios are good.
Have you been offered statins or tried some of the Benecol type products.
I'm not sure you would need to go private without first trying some of the dietary measures suggested here.
Don't forget many of the 'private' doctors also work in the NHS so are working from the same hymn sheet, you may just see them a bit more quickly but nothing in what you have said makes it sound urgent.
 
@Leadinglights, the GP said: " Dear patient, your recent blood tests results showed that your diabetes test was borderline raised, but you are not diabetic. This means that you could be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. You can prevent this by eating a healthy diet, cutting down sugary foods and maintaining a healthy weight. Please find more information regarding preventing diabetes link below. Your cholesterol was also above normal (6.8). At this point, you can prevent the cholesterol from increasing further through lifestyle changes: eating a balanced diet and reducing foods containing saturated fat. Please find more information regarding improving your cholesterol at link below. Alternatively, please book a telephone appointment if you wish to discuss starting a statin tablet. Your other results were all normal, including iron levels, vitamins and thyroid function. I hope you find this reassuring. Please arrange review if you are still concerned with your symptoms. " https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabete...4C0HWhkPQWzFQYCbtJK9Xe51n2XBhzoJXKppVT7mIbawq https://www.diabetes.co.uk/impaired...j7cDB9c-bzZ3HTCR-AJTmbHWTc8OtdvXzDBv9wjB6cEVj
 
Nikoletta said:
@Leadinglights, the GP said: " Dear patient, your recent blood tests results showed that your diabetes test was borderline raised, but you are not diabetic. This means that you could be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. You can prevent this by eating a healthy diet, cutting down sugary foods and maintaining a healthy weight. Please find more information regarding preventing diabetes link below. Your cholesterol was also above normal (6.8). At this point, you can prevent the cholesterol from increasing further through lifestyle changes: eating a balanced diet and reducing foods containing saturated fat. Please find more information regarding improving your cholesterol at link below. Alternatively, please book a telephone appointment if you wish to discuss starting a statin tablet. Your other results were all normal, including iron levels, vitamins and thyroid function. I hope you find this reassuring. Please arrange review if you are still concerned with your symptoms. " https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabete...4C0HWhkPQWzFQYCbtJK9Xe51n2XBhzoJXKppVT7mIbawq https://www.diabetes.co.uk/impaired...j7cDB9c-bzZ3HTCR-AJTmbHWTc8OtdvXzDBv9wjB6cEVj
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Ok cholesterol is a bit higher than they usually want people to be, they say 5 but if they have risk factors more like below 4. But making some changes in reducing carbohydrates will often have a beneficial effect on cholesterol.
There are some fats which will also help in reducing the 'bad' cholesterol and increasing the 'good' which is usually why they look at the ratios as well.
Whether you consider the statin is up to you but do your research before making a decision. There are a number of threads discussing the pros and cons of statins.
 
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