High Cholesterol Levels And Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease which can have numerous side effects. The condition (normally) comes about as a result of the pancreas not producing enough insulin, which you need to handle the sugar level in your blood. Having diabetes, or too much sugar in your blood can have dire consequences such as cataracts (treatable blindness), bad teeth and an elevated danger of general infections.

However what lots of individuals do not comprehend is that there is a connection between high cholesterol levels and diabetes. This link is known as macular edema and it has an effect on eyesight. If you have diabetes and high cholesterol levels, you should be paying meticulous attention to your diet in order to avoid macular edema

Macular edema is often a painful, non-reversible form of blindness.

In case you are uncertain about cholesterol, it would be best if we discuss this issue in order to clarify. Individuals talk about 'cholesterol levels' because there are three measurements that are vital. HDL cholesterol is frequently known as 'good cholesterol' and LDL cholesterol is known as bad cholesterol.

It is vital to have LDL because it helps in the production of bile and vitamin D and it assists regulate hormones, but too much of it can block arteries and cause heart concerns. HDL is 'good' because it mops up LDL and takes it back to the liver where it is disposed of.

Those are the two main levels. You would be forgiven for thinking that it is best to have as much HDL as you can, and this is the case, to a large extent, because you do need LDL as well, but the total of both of these levels is also important. You must not have a high level of both combined either.

The added reason why these levels are more important to diabetics is because diabetics with a high level of LDL run roughly three times more danger of developing macular edema than non-diabetics. Therefore the danger of high cholesterol for diabetics is crucial.

This is such a serious difficulty that diabetics are advised to check their cholesterol levels very frequently. The good news is that diabetics will already be following a diet and the low cholesterol diet is pretty similar and is easy to integrate into your current regime.

The foodstuffs that you should avoid to reduce your LDL cholesterol level include saturated fats such as are found in red meat and dairy products like full-fat milk, butter, cream and cheese. It is also present in trans and hydrogenated fats, which are present in junk foods and cheap margarine.

The foodstuffs to eat in order to increase your level of LDL are in essence mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, vegetarian foodstuffs such as fresh fruits and vegetables, soya products, fish, nuts and grains, especially whole grains. Roughage and fibre are what you ought to be looking for. Fish and olive oil are also useful in the fight against LDL cholesterol.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with lowering cholesterol without medication. If you would like to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?