Persons with diabetes face twice the chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke as persons without the disease, according to the American Diabetes Association. To reduce your risk, take steps to reduce your low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. Also, maintain a healthy weight, exercise and follow a diet that helps manage your glucose and blood lipid levels. Statins may help you lower triglyceride levels.
Triglyceride and Blood Glucose
Some foods in your diet -- sugar and refined carbohydrates especially -- elevate both your glucose levels and your triglyceride levels. High glucose and triglyceride levels make you vulnerable to cardiovascular disease. A diabetes-friendly, triglyceride-lowering diet includes low amounts of sugar, saturated fat and trans fat, moderate amounts of lean protein and a lot of high-fiber fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Regular exercise -- about 30 minutes of moderate activity at least five days a week -- can also improve glucose and triglyceride levels. If diet and lifestyle changes alone do not help improve your triglyceride levels, your doctor may prescribe statins.
Statins
Statins inhibit an enzyme in your liver that makes cholesterol and perform better than other drugs to treat high cholesterol, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Statins can reduce both low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, and triglycerides, a type of fat that acts similarly to LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream. Statins reduce your risk of heart attacks and may reduce your risk of strokes. While some cholesterol-lowering medications, such as niacin, can elevate blood glucose levels, statins do not.
Side Effects and Interactions
The side effects of statins prove milder than from other drugs to lower cholesterol. Common side effects include headaches, nausea, constipation, unusual dreams and dizziness. Other side effects, less common, include sexual dysfunction and depression. Taking statins can cause liver damage so you should get your liver checked periodically. Pregnant and breastfeeding women and persons with liver disease should not take statins. Statins may interact poorly with grapefruit, Seville oranges and red yeast rice.
Considerations
Just as diet alone may not lower your triglyceride and blood glucose levels, don't expect statins to compensate for an unhealthy diet. The American Heart Association notes that you can lower triglycerides 50 percent through diet and exercise. The AHA diet limits saturated fat to 16 g daily, trans fat to 2 g daily and calories obtained from foods with added sugar to 5 to 10 percent of your daily total. Dietary guidelines from the American Diabetes Association can help you create meals plans that improve both your triglyceride and blood glucose levels.
References
- American Diabetes Association; Living With Diabetes: Heart Disease
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Drug Treatments: Statins; Alan Greene, M.D.; Oct. 31 2006
- American Heart Association; Diet, Lifestyle Changes Can Significantly Reduce Triglyceride; April 18 2011
- American Diabetes Association: Create Your Plate
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin B 3 (Niacin); June 18, 2009
