Now On Statins- Type 1

[vikingirl]

G'Day, All...I was just put on 10mg Crestor to control elevated cholesterol. Would like your opinions, please :-)

- Vikingirl

[vikingirl]

Thanks for the replies and the website info. Very informative and enlightening...which still leaves me in a somewhat confused state as to what to do :-)

Cheers,
- Vikingirl

[Mark Munday]

Originally Posted by vikingirl

.... BTW...I am of Nordic decent and it's interesting to note that when considering diabetic treatments as, Scandinavians have among the highest prevalence of Diabetes in the world. Lucky us...not.....

Interestingly, New Zealand and Finland share the dubious distinction of having the highest incince of T1 diabetes in under 5 year olds in the world. And the only apparent common denominator is is high milk consumption in this age group. Mmmm ... could it be an autoimmune reaction to all that bovine insulin?

Cheers,

Mark

[vikingirl]

I find info like that very interesting, Mark. I'm always after the big picture and enjoy reading all the new things they're finding about Diabetes (among many others), especially lately with all the latest DNA research and such.

There's even a theory that Type 1 Diabetes developed in our evolution around the time we experienced our overnight ice-age. Many froze to death, many fled South, and few adapted, allowing them to suffer extreme freezing temperatures without ice crystals forming in their blood. High levels of blood glucose prevent cells and tissues from forming ice crystals. In other words, Type 1 diabetes would have prevented many of our ancestors from freezing to death. This is why Scandinavia has such a high prevalence. How does that theory explain New Zealand, then? Must be through the Viking invasions of (now) UK and the subsequent world travels that brought them to Australia and New Zealand, ya? Just guessing :-)

I'm just really a newby to the cholesterol thing. Thank Goodness my BP is fantastic - even normal-low. Hope it stays that way.

- Vikingirl

[rickst29]

AFAIK, Crestor and Lipitor are the preferred choices, unless contraindicated for specific reasons. DO have your Team pay attention to those liver-related tests. (Oats are a good thing, maybe switch your wheat-based carbs to oat? They're both kinda empty calories, but one's good for cutting LDL.)

Originally Posted by vikingirl

There's even a theory.... Type 1 diabetes would have prevented many of our ancestors from freezing to death.

That theory is bonkers. True and complete Type-1 causes a slow death from starvation... Even when you're only eating only caribou, seals, deer and fish, the protein and fat is converted into SUGAR by the liver to run your body (at a smooth, even rate). A T1 victim with complete beta cell destruction, after the 'Honeymoon Period' and without insulin production, will die, wasting away.

My guess is that T1 is not as likely something CREATED, but rather something LACKING: When you catch one of those notorious "flu-like illnesses", your body doesn't contain the proper coding to recognize the beta cells as "self". (They do have some distinctly "foreign" characteristics, almost as if they were originally bacteria rather than animal cells.) And while other persons' bodies will properly refuse to create antibodies which attack the proteins of beta cells, recognizing them as "self", ours stupidly did attack, thinking they are among the "flu-like illness" foreigners.

There are distinctly different rates of T1, and T2, among different populations. This makes good sense. But I wonder, how much of the "Scandinavian" rates of Diabetes is caused by much greater exposure to the "flu-like" illnesses which turn on the erroneous IR? The cold climate keeps people indoors more, in closer contact and more likely to spread "flu-like" illnesses to each other.

If I'd gotten a flu shot that fateful year, I might not be where I am today.