Is diabetes progressive? Update….

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Teadance

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Type 2
Hi all,
I got my HbA1c result today and have managed to bring it down from 53 in August to 48 today. I’m very pleased as It means I can still bring it down through (a lot) of effort! Thank you to all who commented. Unfortunately my cholesterol is now very high! :confused:
 
Teadance said:
Hi all,
I got my HbA1c result today and have managed to bring it down from 53 in August to 48 today. I’m very pleased as It means I can still bring it down through (a lot) of effort! Thank you to all who commented. Unfortunately my cholesterol is now very high! :confused:
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Have you been losing weight?
Cholesterol transports fats from the cells to be broken down, which might account for results which are high but not too out of the usual range.
A low carb way of eating usually helps with blood glucose levels - I was down to 47 at the 3 month test, and in subsequent years my cholesterol has reduced even without medication.
I have to say that I am very lucky though, as the low carb solved a lot of niggles and I am no longer almost spherical.
Have you been prescribed medication?
 
Congratulations on your HbA1c reduction and best of luck maintaining and perhaps improving it. As regards cholesterol, how high is very high (numbers are important) and has it gone up from when you were first diagnosed and have you lost weight? Also, was it a fasting test last time an non fasted this time as that can make a difference. Sometimes losing weight will increase the cholesterol in your blood stream as you actively lose but will settle back down, when you get to a stable healthy weight.
Are you eating plenty of fibre and particularly soluble fibre? Not sure if you are following a low carb way of eating but that can lead to a loss of fibre from bread and potatoes and fruit unless you actively eat plenty of other fibrous foods. Nuts and seeds are high in fibre and vegetables all of which I eat but I also take an extra fibre supplement in the form of chia seeds and psyllium husk, both of which are mostly soluble fibre although chia seeds are also high in Omega 3 fatty acids, that's the same as the healthy oils in oily fish. The seeds don't seem to taste of anything though. They absorb water when you put them in soup or stews or I have them in a glass of flavoured water. Just a teaspoon of each a day keeps my digestive system happy and seems to be keeping my cholesterol in a good place despite eating lots of cheese and fatty meat and cream in my coffee and cooking my veg with a knob of butter and creamy Greek natural yoghurt every morning.

Anyway, those would be my thoughts, but a bit like diabetes, knowing the numbers with cholesterol is important and understanding what they mean and trying different things to see what works for you.
 
I’ve lost about a stone, but would like to lose at least another. My cholesterol was 7.5 and statins are being suggested. It was a fasting cholesterol test this time, but not last time. I‘ve reduced my carbs but don’t count grams in a day, just much reduced. I’m also on Sertraline which I understand can increase cholesterol.
 
That is higher than I think I would be happy with, so in your situation I would be either negotiating for 3 months of more fibre and whatever else you can do.... Some people suggest these Benecol type drinks.... or try the statins.

Do you know the break down of that figure ie how much HDL/Trig/LDL. If you are losing weight then the LDL may be higher than usual as that tends to go up when I lose weight but generally only a few decimal places.
 
Yes, it’s a lot higher than I’m happy with.
Serum lipid levels Report, Satisfactory, No Further Action.
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Serum triglyceride levels 2.77 mmol/L - Above high reference limit
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Clinical Details:fasting lipids
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Serum LDL cholesterol level 4.85 mmol/L
 
Bought Benecol tonight. I’ll also try to increase my fibre. I presume steering clear of fat would be advised too.
 
Oh Wow! Trigs are quite high and that is surprising if you are on a low carb diet, which I am sort of assuming you are.... but maybe not.... and if so, how low carb?
 
I don’t count grams per day but just try to avoid obvious carbs like bread, pasta etc. I have oat biscuits if I want carbs and new potatoes. I eat nuts, avocados, salmon, stirfry, eggs, cheese, meat, blueberries. I’m not perfect though.
 
I eat lots of fat and mostly saturated fats and it seems to agree with me but as I say I do ingest plenty of soluble fibre and I do exercise regularly. I don't know if that has any bearing but my cholesterol has gone down since I went low carb and started eating more fat for energy. I think most doctors would be shocked at how much cheese and cream I get through in a week. I know other people have found the same, that cutting the carbs ultimately dropped their cholesterol and reduced trigs. As I say, the LDL goes up 2-3 decimal places when I am actively losing weight but overall my TC is pretty steady about 4.5. Maybe try 3 months of cutting the fat as well although I would negotiate 4 months and give yourself the festive season before you start with that, but no harm in having more fibre and the Benecol now.
 
I‘ll definitely cut fat but I don’t feel I can afford to over indulge over Christmas. Just wondering if I should accept the statins. I don’t want to, but I don’t want to be silly about it. I can always come off them if I feel I’m getting my levels down.
 
Teadance said:
I‘ll definitely cut fat but I don’t feel I can afford to over indulge over Christmas. Just wondering if I should accept the statins. I don’t want to, but I don’t want to be silly about it. I can always come off them if I feel I’m getting my levels down.
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I think the only difficulty then is knowing if or how much your lifestyle changes have brought your levels down and how much the statins have. I believe they are very effective.
I am not against statins if they are necessary. What I object to is them being dished out willy nilly when levels don't really warrant it and looking at the individual rather than a blanket approach.
What was your last cholesterol result? Has it gone up much?
 
Thank you so much for replying.

Non fasting results from 4/7/23 (5 months ago)
Serum cholesterol 6.2
HDL 1.38
Non high density lipoprotein 4.85
Serum cholesterol/HDL ratio 4.5

It also says Report Satisfactory!

It seems to have jumped a lot in 5 months, although this most recent test (4/12/23)was a fasting one. The only thing I’ve done differently is to cut down more on carbs and food in general to bring my HbA1c down, which I did.
 
Teadance said:
I‘ll definitely cut fat but I don’t feel I can afford to over indulge over Christmas. Just wondering if I should accept the statins. I don’t want to, but I don’t want to be silly about it. I can always come off them if I feel I’m getting my levels down.
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There is little point in eating less fat. Cholesterol is made in the liver.
I had a pretty drastic response when put on a statin at diagnosis - it damaged my memory amongst other things but, little by little, some things are coming back. It has taken 7 years though.
I would not assume that a diet which included oats and potatoes would be low carb, unless they were measured and counted as they are high carb foods.
Personally I chose carbs from tasty veges over bland and rather boring ones.
 
Sorry to hear your bad experience on statins. I must admit I’m very worried about taking them, but I’m also very worried about my triglyceride levels. I don’t know what would have made them go up in 5 months, as that was the period I was trying hard to bring my HbA1c down.
The oat biscuits, Patersons, are a replacement for bread in the morning. I generally only have 2. I was also under the impression that New potatoes had a lower impact on BG. Again I would only have these in moderation.
 
Lots and lots of people take statins without any side effects and if you feel you are one of the unlucky ones you could always ask for a different one or stop taking them and go back to trying dietary measures. I think the important thing is that people are now aware to look out for the side effects and not just muddle along if they aren't suiting them. Sometimes one statin will cause problems but another won't so there are always options.
 
Drummer said:
I would not assume that a diet which included oats and potatoes would be low carb, unless they were measured and counted as they are high carb foods.
Personally I chose carbs from tasty veges over bland and rather boring ones.
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I too eat lots of veggies.
However, I fear you have missed out on a good freshly baked crusty loaf of you think bread in bland and rather boring
I understand your desire to reduce carbs and we all have choice. But maybe your descriptions are representative of your personal taste and lack of experience of some breads and potatoes.
 
helli said:
I too eat lots of veggies.
However, I fear you have missed out on a good freshly baked crusty loaf of you think bread in bland and rather boring
I understand your desire to reduce carbs and we all have choice. But maybe your descriptions are representative of your personal taste and lack of experience of some breads and potatoes.
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Maybe my personal brainwashing techniques are working well...
 
Teadance said:
I’ve lost about a stone, but would like to lose at least another. My cholesterol was 7.5 and statins are being suggested. It was a fasting cholesterol test this time, but not last time. I‘ve reduced my carbs but don’t count grams in a day, just much reduced. I’m also on Sertraline which I understand can increase cholesterol.
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Traditionally Total Chols recommendation for Diabetics is under 4. The current recommendations focus on the non-hdl figure and the absolute level of LDL ( the so called 'Bad' cholesterol). The total/ hdl ratio has been downgraded in importance although it still appears on NHS test results.

And don't be put off by scaremongering about statins, they are an important resource in the management of the consequences of T2 diabetes. The research on them suggests they are 'safe and well tolerated'.

It's important to knock your Lipid Panel into shape because Diabetic Dyslipidemia ( high Total Chols, high LDL and lower HDL) is one of the earliest complications and a forerunner of cardiovascular complications which are the main complication T2s are facing.
 
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