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35 years
Does a high cholesterol lead to diabetes?
Apr 15, 2015

Dr. Zakia Dimassi Pediatrics
Not exactly. In fact it's kind of the other way around: diabetes leads to elevated cholesterol, a condition specifically known as diabetic dyslipidemia (dyslipidemia means a disorder in the lipids), which is characterized by mild to marked elevation of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (VLDLs or very low density lipoproteins) and low levels of HDL-C (high-density Lipoprotein cholesterol). The interesting observation is that the elevated levels of serum triglycerides and low serum levels of HDL-C often times precede the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (the insulin dependent type) for many years.
A number of different mechanisms are hypothesized to drive the development of dyslipidemia in individuals with diabetes. Imoaired insulin action and hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar) could lead to dyslipidemia in patients with diabetes. In the case of type 2 diabetes, the obesity/insulin-resistant state (whereby the tissues of the body do not respond properly to the action of insulin by up taking sugar from the blood) that is the hallmark event of the development of this disorder can in itself lead to lipid abnormalities even independently of hyperglycemia.
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