How do I lower my cholesterol and glucose level? - High Cholesterol Message Board

sunshine123 · 01-25-2005, 12:24 AM

Hi everyone: I've been taking 20 mg. of Zocor for many years now. Since my total cholesterol has risen to 226 now, I have to get it down or I'll be increasing the Zocor dosage. Everyone in my family has high cholesterol which makes it tougher to control. Also, my fasting glucose level was 110. My mother was diabetic and I DON'T want to end up with diabetes and suffer the way she did. What kind of diet should I be on that will lower cholesterol AND glucose? I exercise several times a week, but still need to lose about 20 lbs. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Linda1629 · 01-25-2005, 05:51 AM

You need to stay away from fatty foods and also from foods that are high on the glycemic index. A baked potato will spike your blood sugar faster than a cup of pasta. The spike in blood sugar will lead your body to protect itself by releasing large amounts of insulin, if it can. If it can't then the sugar will stay in your blood and over time that leads to neuropathy and other nasty type 2 complications. If the correct amount of insulin is released then some of the sugar will be stored in the liver and the rest will be converted to fat and stored. Neither scenario is very good. Unless you are very active then it's best to stay away from the high glycemic foods. Your body just can't use that much sugar that quickly and it will end up stored as fat. And where you are already seeing numbers that are a bit too high for fasting then it really is best to start counting the carbs and watching which carbs you eat.

If I were you I wouldn't worry about losing the weight. If you eat right, eat lots of vegetables and fruits and stick to lean meats and fish then the weight will come off on its own. Do a google search to find a list of low glycemic foods and add them to your diet, and stay away from anything with a number over 50. That's not the amount of carbs in a food but a number that tells you how high it is on the glycemic index. Limit the amount of carbs at a meal. I'm not sure what a good number would be but since you're seeing some elevated blood sugar numbers you might want to keep the carbs to 2 or 3 servings per meal or about 50 carbs total for a meal.

And when you reach for the egg, cheese, and bagel sandwich (or whatever) in the morning just try to remember that it will inflame your arteries and they will stay that way for the next 4 hours or so. Not only that but the refined carbs from the bagel will cause those problems with your blood sugar. It's just not worth it. Instead, reach for a slice of wheat toast and an egg scrambled with some low fat butter. A banana on the side will help to fill you up. Good luck. And exercise! Just a 20 minute walk a day will help a lot, with both the cholesterol and blood sugar.

Lenin · 01-25-2005, 06:46 AM

sunshine,

You seem to be a good candidate for a carb restricted diet. This is doubly important if TRYGLCERIDES are a part of your high cholesterol picture. You'll kill 2 birds with one stone by eliminating sugars entirely and curtailing the quick-hit starches in favor of the slower legume and lactose families of carbs.

pat12 · 01-25-2005, 09:24 AM

Hi,
New on Healthboards. My doc just advised me to get on statins. Does anyone here know about specific side effects, especially linked to generics ? I've heard that there's real difference with "ethic" products.
Thanks

Lenin · 01-25-2005, 12:27 PM

pat,

If you're in the U.S., you won't find any generics except mevastatin (Mev acor) and I dont know anyone who'se had it prescribed.
Nextt year however, you'll probably see simvasatin (generic for Zocor), a popular statin.

Look for stories about generic statins causing blindness, stupidity and heads falling off with exercise (god forbid we should get this drug class cheaply

.) I think there might even be a website talking up the suspected generic statin link to tsunami formation!