I am type 2 diabetic and controlling it through diet and exercise. Current lab test showed HbA1c as 5.7%. In lipid profile test my LDL is 160 mg/dL and total cholesterol is 225 mg/dL. My doctor has prescribed Rozavel 10 mg(rosuvastatin) once a day to reduce the LDL. I need some advice on whether to start taking statin or not. If not how to reduce this to reference level of less than 100 mg/dL. Also if anyone can educate me on long term effects of statin and this drug's efficacy would be highly appreciable. Thanks
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prashantr
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Thanks for the response kasibarndoor .My diabetes is in reversal . It was pretty high when diagnosed. My concern is regarding statin, how bad are they? What is magic pill?
The magic pill is a short film that talks about Carbohydrates and their part in causing disease, I think it is available on Netflix and Youtube. Statins will/may reduce your LDL, but there is no evidence that this is a good thing, with people who do not have FH which from the figures you have quoted is unlikely. Look more at ratios, use diet to reduce your Triglycerides and Hb1ac strict keto is anti-inflammatory and as CVD is an inflammatory disease then your body will hopefully cure itself. Cholesterol is not a disease or a symptom, smoking and insulin resistance are causative, have a look at The fat emperor website, some of his podcasts are brilliant and all are informative.
kasibarndoor Thanks for the references and suggestion. Will have a look at the magic pill and The fat emperor for sure. I am following LCHF not strictly keto for more than 2 months now. Any natural remedies or food changes which might be helpful?
1. "A few changes in your diet can reduce cholesterol and improve your heart health: Reduce saturated fats. ... Decreasing your consumption of saturated fats can reduce your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol"
2. "Eating a healthy diet and doing regular exercise can help lower the level of cholesterol in your blood."
Eat a lot of nuts, green leaf steamed veg and drink coco dark drink little milk and water.
100 to 129 mg/dL can be good, depending on your health.
130 to 159 mg/dL is borderline high.
160 to 189 mg/dL is high.
190 mg/dL or more is very high.
Your doctor will consider your overall likelihood of heart disease to set your personal LDL goal. For people at great risk of heart disease, or who already have it, your LDL should be less than 100 mg/dL. (Your heart doctor might recommend an even lower LDL -- less than 70 mg/dL -- if your risk of heart disease is very high.) If you have a moderately high chance, an LDL less than 130 mg/dL is your target. If you're not likely to get heart disease, less than 160 mg/dL is probably fine.
High triglycerides (150 mg/dL or greater) also raise the odds for heart disease somewhat.
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It is imperative that your specialist do a QRISK or JBS3 rick analysis before any medication is offered!!! (The rick of heart problems)
This is a computer programme, available on line. Doctors have access to it , many parameters are necessary to complete the full test.
I know about JBS3 because I worked with a doctor for JBS2 development!
JBS 3 give out a lot of information, the risk is given in %, say your risk is 10% then your can have 10 in 100 (ie 10 out of 100) people to have a high risk heart problem. I am sure you doctor can work this out before you next appointment.
By the way I have been reading on VLDL, IDL components of lipid blood test.
Nod using your blood test results, you can calculate your numbers.
From my calculation you are in low risk, this is new to me!!
Have a go.
" They do not measure this amount directly – you have to pull out some old math skills. Take total cholesterol and subtract off HDL & LDL from that number (RC = TC – LDL – HDL). Check out the example below:
Total cholesterol = 250 mg/dL
LDL cholesterol = 150 mg/dL
HDL cholesterol = 80 mg/dL
Remnant cholesterol = 250 – 150 – 80 = 20 mg/dL
So the remnant cholesterol for this person is 20 mg/dL, and he is in the “low risk” quintile. Wasn’t that easy? Now you can go do that and ask your doctor about it when you go get blood work done next.. We wouldn’t be surprised if your doctor hasn’t even heard of remnant cholesterol before. Most doctors don’t learn about stuff like this."
Work it out for your self if you need medication? !!!
Ok. My RC = 225 - 161 - 49 = 15 Is in low risk quintile as per the link posted by you.
Also I did the qrisk calculation from qrisk.org/2017/index.php calculator. That also shows 1.4% risk factor which is pretty low. It does not look like I need medication. So should I get second opinion from somewhere else? Or I can try reducing with diet & exercise and get tested again in 3-4 weeks time. Thanks Sandy. You are an amazing help. 🙏😊
I have given you enough information for you to make your own decision as I did 6 years ago, by the way I am at high risk!!, I am not worried, enjoying my life, I have done my duty for my family.
A second opinion is a good idea. When you have your check up and station medication is offered then you should have your findings in printed format or in an electronic device to show the specialist why you do not want statin medication.
Not many people do their own risk analysis like you did and to understand it. I am very happy about this, at least one person did the check.
Take care, enjoy one life. Diet control is important.
The body synthesizes cholesterol if you have an inflammatory diet. Inflammatory foods are sugar and its equivalents, simple carbohydrates, fried foods, and processed foods. Excessive consumption of dairy products can also lead to inflammation.
The elimination of the inflammatory foods should correct your LDL-C although I must tell you that the medical profession is focused on the result and not the source of the problem and so LDL-C elevation should be a tip-off to a health care professional to guide patients to dietary and lifestyle modifications BEFORE administering statins.
Statins cause muscle pain and damage in a portion of the population. All medications have side-effects, so it is always best to treat health issues through diet and exercise.
You should read the pinned post to the right side of this page which I wrote, titled 'How I Conquered Heart-Disease and What I Have Learned in the Process'.
Doctors should be monitoring Apo-B or LDL-P, NOT LDL-C as a risk metric. Lowering your Triglycerides levels below 60 mg/dl should be your target. I keep mine around 50 mg/dl.
Consider fasting once per week, there is some views that fasting can help those with type 2 diabetes. youtu.be/Ekqq6DE8vGE
I also encourage you to watch this 2-part TV magazine show on Gut Health and its impact on your overall health:
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Finally got LDL down below 70 mg/DL ( 1.8 mmol/L) 
High LDL Cholesterol all rest OK
Light Buoyant LDL versus Small Dense LDL.
how low should LDL be
