Hi Chris,

Thank you for your question! High cholesterol is a big concern for diabetics. High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and other serious conditions. Target cholesterol level is less than 200 for diabetic patients. LDL (lousy cholesterol, one of the components of total cholesterol) should be less than 100 for diabetic patients. It is possible to reduce your cholesterol with diet and exercise alone, but you must work hard to do it! If you are interested in controlling your cholesterol with diet and exercise, I would recommend talking with your doctor and stating that you would like to do a trial period with just diet and exercise (maybe 2-3 months). If after that time your cholesterol is not below 200, you should probably take the medication. As long as you have the initiative and the willpower to do so, you should be able to control your cholesterol without medication. Most people would much rather take a pill once a day than change their lifestyle, but good for you for making your health a priority! You can read more about cholesterol at our sister website, www.cholesterolnetwork.com, and most about a low-cholesterol diet at this link.

Best of luck to you!

Casey