My 15 year old son’s (diagnosed about 29 months ago) last hemoglobin A1c was very high (10.2 5). It has slowly been increasing, and I’m sure it’s because the newness of the pump has worn off and his first year of high school. His doctor mentioned he will do a cholesterol at the next visit because the one my son had over a year ago was 179 mg/dl. What is a safe level of cholesterol intake for my 15 year old son? I need to be more educated on this, particularly about the cholesterol in foods and how much he should have each day.

Cholesterol comes not only from the foods eaten, such as eggs and liver, but also by what the body produces. If there is a family history of high cholesterol, your son may also have higher levels than normal. In addition, cholesterol levels often increase as blood glucoses go higher.

It is probably best to work on getting better control of the diabetes. It it sounds as though a refresher course in diabetes care and getting in better control is warranted. A cholesterol of 179 mg/dl is only slightly higher than the upper limit of desirable (170 mg/dl) for children and adolescents. I would suggest that you see what his current level is and then enlist the help of a dietitian, if necessary.

LSF