cholesterol is important to overall health but too high level of cholesterol can be harmful high cholesterol can cause narrowed or blocked arteries people with diabetes unfortunately are more prone to having unhealthy high cholesterol levels which lead to cardiovascular disease cvd by taking measures to control cholesterol you can reduce the chance of cardiovascular disease and premature deathblood cholesterol is a group of fats also known as lipoproteins classified as hdlc or good cholesterol and ldlc or bad cholesterol diabetes reduces the levels of good cholesterol and increases the levels of triglyceride and bad cholesterol which elevates the risk of heart disease and stroke this condition is known as dyslipidemiaif you have deadly combination of diabetes and dyslipidemia you are at higher risk of premature coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis studies have shown that insulin resistance is linked to diabetic dyslipidemia atherosclerosis and blood vessel disease in fact these conditions can develop even before diabetes is diagnosedstudies show a link between insulin resistance and diabetic dyslipidemia atherosclerosis and blood vessel disease these conditions can develop even before diabetes is diagnosed obesity a diabetic comorbidity is also a known risk factor is for dyslipidemia if you are obese losing merely 510 weight through physical activity and healthy eating can help improve your cholesterol levels a regular physical activity will help with your overall diabetes management and improve your cardiovascular health avoid other deteriorating factors such as smoking alcohol and high fat foodif you have high levels of triglyceride try to maintain a healthy weight achieve a good control over your diabetes and most importantly follow your doctors prescribed medication avoid other deteriorating factors such as smoking alcohol and high fat food you should get your cholesterol checked every 5 years or more often if theres a problemref1 article has been contributed by dr raj pal singh bhardwaj mbbs dm cardiology consultant cardiologist apollo spectra hospitals kanpurdisclaimer the views and opinions expressed by the doctors are their independent professional judgment and we do not take any responsibility for the accuracy of their views this should not be considered as a substitute for physicians advice please consult your treating physician for more details