Type 2 Diabetes, HDL Cholesterol and Kidney Disease

Type 2 Diabetes, HDL Cholesterol and Kidney Disease

The American Diabetes Association or ADA, recommends that each year people with type 2 diabetes have their lipid profile measured on a yearly basis. Why? Because these test results have a direct relationship with possible heart and vascular complications, such as hardening of the arteries. Although cholesterol levels have received a lot of media attention in recent years, cholesterol is not the only indicator of cardiovascular health. The balance between "good" and "bad" cholesterol is more important.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, is the "good" or healthy kind of cholesterol, which helps to keep the low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, from causing damage to your kidneys. LDL can attach to your arteries, causing plaque or unhealthy deposits to form, blocking your blood from flowing or causing bleeding.

HDL appears to work to clean the LDL out from your arteries. One result of arterial damage is kidney damage, because the arteries actually go through your kidneys to be relieved of excess water, salt, potassium, and other molecules. In type 2 diabetes, total cholesterol is often high and the ratio of HDL to LDL can be low.

Workers at the Department of Biomedical and Surgical Sciences at the University of Verona in Italy looked at the effects of HDL and chronic kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes. The results were published last year in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Disease. Over 1900 type 2 diabetics starting out with normal kidney function were followed for 5 years. Volunteers with the highest HDL levels had only 76 per cent of the risk of chronic kidney disease as volunteers with the lowest HDL levels.

The National Kidney Foundation suggests a target level of 40 mg/dl or higher for HDL cholesterol and a target value of below 100 mg/dl for LDL cholesterol... although newer studies suggest that people with heart or blood vessel disease should reduced their LDL to below 70. Total cholesterol should be below 200 mg/dl.

Aerobic activity is a good way to increase your HDL levels. Workers in Tokyo put together 35 studies on exercise and cholesterol, and calculated that, on average, when patients exercised for 40 minutes, 3 to 4 times per week, after 2 to 7 months their HDL was increased by 2.5 mg/dl. By aerobic exercise is meant activity that increases your pulse rate and breathing... walking, cycling, and swimming are examples of aerobic exercise. If this sounds too lacking in joie de vivre, dancing or reaching for a romantic partner can also be aerobic. HDL can also be increased by taking niacin and by lowering triglycerides.

Obesity is one cause of low HDL, so one way to help to reduce your HDL is to normalize your weight. Cranberry juice can help to lower HDL. Cutting out trans-fats is helpful too. Read the labels on foods, and avoid the ones that list "partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils". Healthful oils include olive and peanut oils. If you eat peanut butter, look for the kind that lists pure peanuts as its ingredients, without any partially hydrogenated oils. Foods high in fiber can also help to increase your HDL levels, so emphasize fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your eating plan.

When contemplating beginning a program of diet and exercise, check with your dietitian for advice on what and how much is good for you to eat, and check that increased activity is safe for you.