Diabetes is not the same as high cholesterol, but the two conditions have a close connection --- in your liver and in your brain. Having high cholesterol can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Diabetes is the strongest risk factor for cardiovascular disease, in part because of the damage poor blood sugar control can cause. For example, excess blood sugar can form a veneer over your bad cholesterol, causing it to stick around longer. The American Diabetes Association says diabetics should aim for a bad cholesterol reading of less than 100 mg/dL and a good cholesterol reading of greater than 60 mg/DL.
Diabetes Details
A metabolism disorder, diabetes is a group of diseases involving problems with insulin and blood sugar. In some cases, little to no insulin is produced, and in other cases, cells don't respond appropriately to the insulin that is there. As a result, blood sugar --- your body's main source of energy --- builds up in your bloodstream because insulin can't do its job of helping it get into your cells. More than 25 million people have diabetes, 7 million of whom don't know it. Type 2 diabetes is the common form of the disease, and diagnosis rates have reached epidemic proportions.
High Blood Cholesterol
Cholesterol, a blood lipid, helps produce hormones, patches up your blood vessels and assists with digestion. Even your brain uses cholesterol, as neurons need the substance to form connections. Cholesterol gets trafficked through your body in special transporters called lipoproteins. Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is bad because, even though it performs essential functions, too much of it can clump together with other substances and block the flow of blood. This can lead to heart attack or stroke. High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, is like an internal tow truck, collecting excess LDL for removal from your system. Your health care provider is most concerned with your LDL level, which determines whether you need treatment to reduce your risk of heart disease. You have high cholesterol if your LDL is greater than 160 mg/dL, and above 130 mg/dL is considered "borderline high." Your total cholesterol is at a "desirable" level when it's less than 200 mg/dL, according to the American Heart Association. One out of every six American adults has high blood cholesterol, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.
Diabetes-Cholesterol Link
Your liver processes your blood sugar and packages your cholesterol, and both diabetes and high blood cholesterol involve impairments that take place in the liver. Being overweight, leading a sedentary life and having poor blood sugar control increase the chance you'll suffer abnormalities in your blood lipids, including cholesterol. Blood sugar can attach to LDL cholesterol. Cholesterol carriers coated with glucose tend to stay in your bloodstream longer, helping LDL's bad habit of forming artery-blocking plaques. Joslin Diabetes Center says cardiovascular disease leading to heart attack or stroke is "by far" the leading cause of death among people with diabetes. Cardiovascular disease also involves blood circulation elsewhere in the body, and it's the chief reason diabetics can suffer poor leg circulation and have foot ulcers and amputations.
Diabetes, Cholesterol and Your Brain
Your brain contains more cholesterol than any other organ in your body and needs it to function properly. Diabetes, however, can impact how much cholesterol your brain can make. The less cholesterol your brain is able to make and use, the more problems you as a diabetic can have with nerve function, appetite control, behavior, memory and mood. This condition also poses a threat in the form of diabetic neuropathy, the systemic nerve damage that diabetic patients can experience.
References
- University of Illinois McKinley Health Center; Diabetes and Cholesterol; June 2010
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; High Blood Cholesterol: Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III); May 2001
- American Heart Association: What Your Cholesterol Levels Mean
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Diabetes Fact Sheet 2011
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse; Diabetes Overview; November 2008
- Joslin Diabetes Center; Diabetes May Clamp Down on Brain Cholesterol; November 2010
