by wedison
(Brasilia)
Question from Wedison:
I have high triglycerides, high LDL, and low HDL. My doctor diagnosed me as prediabetic.
Could you give me information on how to lower my triglycerides?
High triglycerides, high LDL, low HDL, and prediabetes often happen together because of insulin resistance, excess belly weight, inactivity, refined carbohydrates, sugary drinks, alcohol, smoking, genetics, or some medicines.
To lower triglycerides, focus on reducing sugar and refined carbs, avoiding or limiting alcohol, losing weight if needed, exercising regularly, stopping smoking, and working with your doctor to decide if medicine is needed.
Ask your doctor for your exact triglycerides, LDL, HDL, HbA1c, fasting glucose, blood pressure, liver, kidney, and thyroid results.
Answer by Dr. Albana Greca, MD, MMedSc
Dear Wedison,
Your question is important because prediabetes with high triglycerides, high LDL, and low HDL can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, heart disease, and stroke if it is not managed early.
Prediabetes often means the body is becoming resistant to insulin. When insulin does not work well, the liver may make more triglycerides, blood sugar may rise, HDL may go down, and LDL may become more harmful to blood vessels.
Helpful page: what is insulin resistance?
Helpful page: diabetes, carbs, and glycemic index.
Triglycerides are only one part of the problem. High LDL is very important because it is strongly linked with plaque buildup in the arteries.
If your LDL is high, your doctor may recommend a statin or another cholesterol-lowering medicine depending on your age, blood pressure, smoking status, family history, diabetes risk, and overall heart risk.
Low HDL often improves with weight loss, regular activity, stopping smoking, and better triglyceride control. The goal is not only to “raise HDL,” but to reduce your total cardiovascular risk.
Mild or moderate high triglycerides increase heart risk. Very high triglycerides can also increase the risk of pancreatitis, a serious inflammation of the pancreas.
If triglycerides are around 500 mg/dL or higher, or especially above 1000 mg/dL, you need close medical care and may need medicine in addition to diet changes.
Helpful resource: blood tests for diabetes.
Use the plate method for most meals: half the plate non-starchy vegetables, one-quarter lean protein, one-quarter high-fiber carbohydrate, and a small amount of healthy fat.
Good choices include fish, chicken, eggs, beans, lentils, vegetables, olive oil, nuts in small portions, plain yogurt, oats, berries, and whole fruits. Avoid liquid sugar, large starch portions, fried foods, and frequent sweets.
Helpful page: foods and drinks for diabetes blood sugar control.
Seek urgent medical care for severe upper abdominal pain, vomiting, fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, stroke symptoms, or very high triglycerides with abdominal pain. Do not start cholesterol medicines, diabetes medicines, fish oil, niacin, or herbal supplements without discussing them with your doctor.
Wedison, the most important step is to know your exact numbers. High triglycerides with prediabetes often improve with less sugar, fewer refined carbs, weight control, exercise, and sometimes medication. LDL and triglycerides must both be managed.
Educational safety note: This answer is for general diabetes education only. It does not replace personal medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Do not start, stop, or change cholesterol medicines, diabetes medicines, supplements, diet, or exercise plans without speaking with your healthcare provider.
Last reviewed: July 2026.
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Question:
Could Simcor raise my blood sugar level?
Yes. Simcor may raise blood sugar in some people. Simcor contains niacin and simvastatin. Niacin can increase fasting blood glucose, and statins may slightly increase blood sugar in some patients.
This does not mean everyone who takes Simcor will develop diabetes or uncontrolled glucose. But if you already have diabetes or prediabetes, you should monitor your blood sugar more closely after starting or changing the dose.
Do not stop Simcor on your own. It may have been prescribed to reduce cholesterol and cardiovascular risk. Speak with your doctor about your glucose readings and whether your treatment plan needs adjustment.
Answer by Dr. Albana Greca, MD, MMedSc
Hello,
Simcor is a combination medicine that contains niacin and simvastatin. It has been used to improve cholesterol and triglyceride patterns in selected patients. Because it contains niacin and a statin, it can affect blood sugar in some people.
The niacin part of Simcor can increase fasting blood glucose. This effect is important for people with diabetes, prediabetes, or insulin resistance.
The simvastatin part may also be linked with small increases in blood sugar in some patients. However, statins can also reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in people at cardiovascular risk, so the decision should be based on your full health picture.
Helpful page: diabetes drug safety and side effects.
Do not stop the medicine without your doctor’s advice. Instead, write down your readings and contact your doctor. Your doctor may decide to monitor, adjust your diabetes treatment, change the cholesterol medicine, or check for other causes of high blood sugar.
Blood sugar can also rise because of infection, stress, poor sleep, weight gain, steroid medicines, missed diabetes medicine, or changes in food and activity.
Helpful resource: blood sugar log sheet.
Helpful page: HbA1c explained.
Yes. Lifestyle changes can help both blood sugar and cholesterol. Focus on reducing sugary drinks, sweets, refined carbohydrates, large portions of white bread, rice, pasta, and fried foods.
Choose more vegetables, beans, lentils, oats, barley, fish, lean protein, nuts in small portions, olive oil, and whole fruits instead of juice. Regular walking and strength training can also improve insulin sensitivity and triglycerides.
Helpful page: foods and drinks for diabetes blood sugar control.
Call your doctor if your fasting blood sugar becomes repeatedly higher than your target, your after-meal readings are often high, your HbA1c rises, or you develop symptoms such as unusual thirst, frequent urination, blurry vision, fatigue, or unexplained weight loss.
Also call promptly for severe muscle pain, weakness, dark urine, yellow skin or eyes, severe abdominal pain, or if you feel very unwell while taking Simcor.
Do not stop Simcor, simvastatin, niacin, insulin, metformin, or other diabetes medicine without medical advice. Seek urgent help for chest pain, stroke symptoms, severe weakness, dark urine with muscle pain, very high blood sugar with vomiting, dehydration, ketones, confusion, or trouble breathing.
Simcor can raise blood sugar in some people, mainly because of niacin and possibly also because of the statin component. The safest approach is careful monitoring and a doctor-guided decision about whether the benefit for cholesterol and heart risk is greater than the glucose effect.
Educational safety note: This answer is for general diabetes education only. It does not replace personal medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Do not start, stop, or change cholesterol medicines, diabetes medicines, supplements, diet, or exercise plans without speaking with your healthcare provider.
Last reviewed: July 2026.
Click here to post comments or follow up
Ask the Doctor now? Simply click here to return to Type 2 diabetes information.