Statins or not statins

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zippyjojo

zippyjojo

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 3c
Hi everyone - my cholesterol is high (I think 9) and I have been discussing it with my GP and obviously the subject of statins came up. I’m so loathe to start taking another pill and just thought I’d post on here to see how others have managed their cholesterol levels? My HDL is quite good but not good enough to not address the overall cholesterol level. I know I’ve upped my crisp and cheese intake since becoming diabetic and have probably fallen into bad habits such as bowl of crisps and chunks of cheddar in the evening but wonder whether stopping that will make enough of a difference. Is there home testing for cholesterol? Any advice, experience, tips gratefully received
 
At high cholesterols levels (and I think the recommended levels for people with diabetes are to be 4 or lower) the most effective agent is going to be medication.

The body makes most of the cholesterol we have, rather than absorbing it from food, and while lowering saturated fat intake can have a positive effect, I‘m not sure it would bring yours down to target.

Statins are very widely prescribed, and very well tolerated by the vast majority of people. If a particular type doesn’t suit you there are alternative statins, or alternative meds to try.

I put them off for quite a while, but have been taking them for a month or so and they have been absolutely fine (my total chol is average for the UK at around 5.8, with decent levels of HDL).

I’ve to book a check in November to see what effect has been had.
 
This is pre diabetic diagnosis, I initially tried things like the benecol drinks which I used on cereal instead of milk and the spread rather than butter (hated it) but it made no difference (it was 5.2). I take a low dose statin which I have had no issues with, and cholesterol is 3.6 even though I have cheese, cream, full fat yoghurt.
 
Actually I double checked my result as 9 seemed extremely high - it was 5.4 so not sure where I got the 9 from. I’m ringing to get a GP call on Monday to discuss starting statins.
 
zippyjojo said:
Hi everyone - my cholesterol is high (I think 9) and I have been discussing it with my GP and obviously the subject of statins came up. I’m so loathe to start taking another pill and just thought I’d post on here to see how others have managed their cholesterol levels? My HDL is quite good but not good enough to not address the overall cholesterol level. I know I’ve upped my crisp and cheese intake since becoming diabetic and have probably fallen into bad habits such as bowl of crisps and chunks of cheddar in the evening but wonder whether stopping that will make enough of a difference. Is there home testing for cholesterol? Any advice, experience, tips gratefully received
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Have you tried the protein nut and chocolate bars that Nature Valley, KIND or shop own do as they are pretty low carb, between 5 and 10g carb per bar.
You may find that a very low dose of a statin will be sufficient to lower the cholesterol enough as I saw on the other thread it is just 5 not 9 as you thought. I only take 10mg whereas I see many take as much as 40mg.
 
I eat masses of cheese and cream but I keep my carbs low and I have plenty of fibre and my levels are slowly lowering from 5.2 at diagnosis to 4.5 currently. I have refused statins because I don't feel that my levels warrant it and taking a statin when I eat loads of cheese and fatty meat seems immoral, but that diet seems to be keeping me fit and healthy and happy and helping me maintain stable BG. My consultant says "just keep doing what you are doing"..... I can't bring myself to tell him exactly what I am doing ie the amount of cheese and cream and belly pork and pork scratchings I eat.... as he would probably have a heart attack himself! It seems to be working for me though!
 
See I have my own theory about this, when I was diagnosed I my total chol was 4.6 but my blood sugars were in their 20’s I then went extreme low carb and was starving everyday and my chol went up to over 6 at one point. Added fats and increased my carbs a bit and cholesterol has been slowly coming back down and is now 4.8. My ratios have always been spot on and I have never had high chol in my whole life other than when I was starving. So my body is producing it, and it’s not what I’m putting in my cake hole.
 
EmmaL76 said:
See I have my own theory about this, when I was diagnosed I my total chol was 4.6 but my blood sugars were in their 20’s I then went extreme low carb and was starving everyday and my chol went up to over 6 at one point. Added fats and increased my carbs a bit and cholesterol has been slowly coming back down and is now 4.8. My ratios have always been spot on and I have never had high chol in my whole life other than when I was starving. So my body is producing it, and it’s not what I’m putting in my cake hole.
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I wonder if, when you went very low carb, you lost a lot of fibre from your diet and that was why your cholesterol went up. I know it took me a while to realize that I needed to add more fibre and particularly soluble fibre, when I stopped eating bread and potatoes and porridge and a lot of fruit etc. Of course, I increased my fibre to help my digestive system because I got pretty bunged up, but I am convinced that the increased/supplemented fibre in my diet now is a big factor in reducing cholesterol and is why I get away with eating so much saturated fats.
 
If you don’t want to take more pills have you tried diet and lifestyle changes, combined with the cholesterol products available, to reduce your levels first?
 
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