Cholesterol (or lipid) problems in people with
type 1 diabetes are usually related to the lack of
insulin.
- Lack of insulin increases the level of
triglycerides. Normally, insulin makes a certain
enzyme remove triglycerides from the blood. When insulin is used to treat high
blood sugar, the triglyceride level goes back to normal.
- A lack of
insulin (and the high blood sugar that results) raises the level of "bad"
cholesterol (LDL, or
low-density lipoprotein). It returns to normal when
insulin is given.
Data from the Diabetes Complications and Control Trial (DCCT) showed
that people with type 1 diabetes had cholesterol levels similar to people
without diabetes when their blood sugar levels were kept within a near-normal
range.1
This does not apply to people with nephropathy, because once the
kidney starts losing even small amounts of protein, cholesterol problems begin
to develop.
Citations
DCCT Research Group (1992). Lipid and lipoprotein
levels in patients with IDDM diabetes control and complication. Trial
experience. Diabetes Care, 15(7):
886-894.
