High Cholesterol

Heart disease is the most common long-term health problem caused by high blood sugars.
It is also the leading cause of death in diabetes. High cholesterol levels play a major role in the development of heart disease.

A common cause of heart disease is ìatherosclerosisî, also known as ìhardening of the arteries.î
This causes arteries or blood vessels to become narrowed or clogged. Arteries normally get clogged with a substance called cholesterol. Click on the image for a larger view.

Cholesterol is made up of several different parts.
Cholesterol is a fat (lipid) molecule surrounded by protein. Your body makes cholesterol plus you get it from your diet.

• LDL (low density lipoprotein) goes by the nickname of ìlethalî or ìlousyî cholesterol. This is the sticky cholesterol that sticks to our arteries.
• HDL (high density lipoprotein) goes by the nickname ìhealthyî cholesterol. This is the cholesterol that cleans up (vacuums up) the excess LDL.
• Both LDL and HDL carry fats from the foods we eat, called ìTriglyceridesî, throughout the body. Triglycerides are stored in fat tissue (you know, that pinch an inch around your waist line). There are three types of fat which triglycerides can be made up of. They are, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has new recommendations for your cholesterol levels. These new levels are to help you prevent or reverse some of the clogging of your arteries.

They are:

Total Cholesterol	200 mg/dl
LDL Cholesterol	100 mg/dl
HDL Cholesterol	45 mg/dl for men 55 mg/dl for women
Triglycerides	200 mg/dl

The ADA recommends checking your fasting lipid levels at least once a year.

You can prevent or reverse heart disease.

• Keep your blood sugars under good control. Aim for blood sugars of 80 mg/dl-120 mg/dl before meals, and 100 mg/dl ñ140 mg/dl at bedtime.
• Keep your Hemoglobin A1c (a 3 month average blood sugar test) at 7% or less.
• Keep your lipid levels at the ADA levels or lower
• Keep your blood pressure less than130/80 mmHg
• Donít smoke
• Eat a healthy diet
• Lose weight if needed. Losing even 10-20 pounds can help.
• Exercise most days
• Work with your health care team to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Your doctor may also advise you take certain cholesterol lowering drugs to help lower your risk of heart attack.

Questions?
If you have further questions about cholesterol, contact your diabetes healthcare team.

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