Dad - diagnosed Diabetes 2 and High Cholesterol

[Snez]

My dad has just been diagnosed with Diabetes and High Cholesterol. His numbers:

Glucose Fasting 7.2 (normal 3.5-5.4)
1 Hour 14.4
2 Hours 12.8 (normal 3.6 - 7.7)
Result consistent with Diabetes Mellitus

Cholesterol 5.5 (normal <5.5)
Triglyceride 1.6 (<1.8)
HDL Chol 1.0 (1.1 - 3.5)
Coronary Risk Ratio 5.5 (<3.5)
LDL Chol 3.8 (<3.5)
Hypercholesterolaemia

Doc has put dad on Crestor Rosuvastatin 5mg - 1 at night.
I told dad to stop taking this drug. What are people's thoughts on my dad's results. They are sending him to get diabetic education!! That's a laugh - I've got a list of all the high carb foods they want him to eat!!

[Sherrie]

Looks like hes a perfect candidate for low carb to me as it should fix both his blood sugar and cholesterol ratio! Have you visited the bernstein forum?

Did his doctor discuss managing it with diet and exercise at all? Did he give a reason why it wasn't sufficient?

Does he go online at all or is he computer illiterate like my dad?

Can you scan the list?

And lastly, did you want me to move this to the diabetes section?

[Snez]

Yes, move it to the diabetes section.
Just spoke to the doctor and he said that with the diabetes we will try diet first. I told him that if they follow the ADA advice his diabetes will not improve. Low-carb is the way to go I said and he just wasn't interested.
I said that my dad will not be taking the statins and he was not impressed. He doesn't want to debate with me he said. He may not even treat mum and dad anymore. What an arsehole. I just googled something about rosuvastatin which does not look good - I am emailing it to the good doctor along with something about low-carb helping diabetes.
I am going to put mum and dad on low-carb and we'll see what happens. Do you want me to scan the list of what to eat that ADA recommends, is that what you mean when you say can you scan the list?

[Snez]

I got the book out just last week - The Diabetes Diet by Richard K. Bernstein. Just because I was interested in it - now it will come in use.

The dangers of rosuvastatin:
http://www.worstpills.org/public/crestor.cfm

Also, on Friday 2 Feb I'm going with dad to get some diabetes education!! Its going to be a small group of people - not sure if I'm going to be able to keep my mouth shut when they start giving people advice on what to eat!

[Sherrie]

His cholesterol is only 5.5 and his trigs are normal, hardly enough reason to go straight on the statins with all those side effects!

Sounds like he needs a new doctor IMO

When I had my cholesterol checked a few years ago before I fell pregnant it was 5.6 and my doctor didn't even blink an eyelid! My trigs however were 0.5!

In my totally amatuer opinion it looks to me as far as cholesterol goes he really just needs to fix up his ratio and lower his trigs something that even anti lowcarbers know low carb will fix in a jiffy!

Re the list, I was talking about the list you mentioned that he got if its just some list that already online its okay (aka on the ADA site).

[Sherrie]

PS: cholesterol and statin links

[Snez]

Excellent work Sherrie, its great!

Its probably on the ADA site eg:
B: cereal or porridge or toast, low fat milk, piece of fruit
M: 1 sl fruit bread, or 2 crispbreads with scrape of margarine and fruit spread
L: 2 sli sandwich on wolegrain bread with scrape margarine, 1 cup salad, piece of fruit
A: same as mid-morning
D: 1 cup cooked rice/pasta/noodle. half cup beans/peas/lentils, or fish with 2 cups vegies etc plus low fat custard.

Worst diet for someone trying to control diabetes!!

[Snez]

This link on Diabetes and Diet was posted by Regina from Weight of the Evidence.
http://dapaice.com/DiabetesAndDiet.pdf

[Sherrie]

Hey you beat me to it I was looking at Reginas post before when I got distracted with something else

I have loaded the PDF up but havn't looked at it yet

[Snez]

I've read it. Its very good. He does a lot of tests. He eats low-carb but also incorporating low GI.

[Snez]

Am I wrong in telling dad to not go on the statins?
His cholesterol may also be high because he has a lot of inflammation - osteoarthritis, knee arthritis, occasional gout.

[Sherrie]

No way Snez definately not. Heck mine was 5.6 and I was in my 30s (it gets higher as you age which is a good thing eg antiaging)!

You know my dad has been recently put on statins for his high cholesterol but let me tell you he played competition squash into his 50s and always looked 20 years younger for his age. The only reason hes looking his age now is because of his back problem (another reason why I don't want him on statins). Mind you that is not exactly why hes on statins, his GP never took that route. It was when he had an Angina attack from his heavy smoking and the cardiologist at the hospital put him on them!!!

Just think he was a heavy smoker all these years yet looked so young for his age... maybe it was the high cholesterol helping him there!

Gout, I was reading up on that just the otherday or maybe even yesterday, but its not coming to me right now

But Snez low carb should help with every single one of those things!

[Snez]

Thanks Sherrie. I know I'm right about the statins but just wanted further confirmation.

[LC_Dave]

Hey Snez!

Funny how the diagnosis is high cholesterol, when it's not exatly high! These Doctors are so obsessed with digits!

The reason I pipe in, because my dad has had high cholesterol and pre-diabetes for years. He is 57 this year.

Only since getting him on Atkins earlier last year did all his figures change!

No longer pre-diabetic (at least a 5 year condition)

Fatty liver gone! (previous 15 yr condition)

Cholesterol is dropping (But of course doctors has to keep him on those pills!!)

Sleep Apnea machine - no longer using.

But of course those sort of real life figure aren't something that will sell weight wathcers products in 'Slimming Magazine'. (Weight Watchers being something I go him into for years).

[Snez]

That sounds so good Dave. My dad is willing to give low-carb a go. The doc also diagnosed my mum with high cholesterol and prescribed statins for her too. Also she is Impared Glucose Tolerant. Doc will check again in a year. As far as I'm concerned she is practically a diabetic. I will try and put her on a low-carb diet too. The problem with her is that she's got friends that are diabetic and they say you can eat bread and fruit etc. She also said I can't not eat bread. I also told her to stop buying vegetable oil because it bad for you. She doesn't believe it. She is hard work.