A person who has diabetes has a greater chance of having high cholesterol. After I was diagnosed as diabetic, I was told that I also had high cholesterol levels. I stopped eating all beef products several years prior to this diagnoses, ate small portions of lean red meat on occasion, didn’t eat any dairy products, was in my thirties, exercised frequently, and was the proper weight for my height so how could it be possible that I had high cholesterol?! The doctor wanted to put me on statins. “Heck no,” I thought! It was bad enough to have to take insulin, but statins too? It was not a good day!
What I found out is that acceptable levels of LDL cholesterol have gone down over the years so that more and more people are put on pharmaceuticals. This benefits the manufacturers, and the doctors who receive compensation from prescribing these medications, but does not help and can even harm patients.
After administering insulin and reducing the amount of carbohydrates I consumed, my LDL cholesterol level dropped considerably and is now considered “good.” What the doctor didn’t tell me and what I want to share with you is that high blood sugar messes up your whole body. Even if you don’t eat any products containing cholesterol, your body makes cholesterol on its own. If your body isn’t functioning properly, your body cannot remove the excess cholesterol and it keeps building up, raising those levels.
You may be able to avoid taking cholesterol-lowering drugs by keeping your blood sugar levels in check. Just because a doctor recommends a medication doesn’t mean you have to take it. All prescription drugs have benefits and risks. It’s unfortunate, but you have to be your own medical advocate. No one has your best interests at heart better than you, except maybe your mom!