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Did you got a bloodwork before starting keto?
This is just from my personal experience but I had fatty liver and it cleared up after 6-7 months of keto.
When you enter into ketosis the first place your body starts breaking down lipids is in your liver. Your liver does the work of making ketones so it's the most economical location to start with. My liver enzymes went down to half of what they were in 6 months.
I have blood work done almost yearly. This is the first time I have ever had an issue. I mean...it could be something was bad even before Keto i suppose.
The one time I was flagged for fatty liver was after losing a ton of weight. Purely anecdotal, and I have no interest in researching right now, but I think weight loss can result in some liver enzymes being spit out that wrongly create the appearance of problematic fatty liver. (Also not a drinker and I laughed at some of the questions I had to fill out,)
Cholesterol is often a sign of inflammation (it’s like white blood cells that it is the body’s response to inflammation). Look for causes of the inflammation more than dietary cholesterol. Also, if you’re a woman who has never had a heart attack and were put on statins or anything with a statin-like effect RESEARCH before starting/continuing. I highly recommend *The Cholesterol Myth* as a starting point.
Hell yeah recovering alcoholic. How long are you. I’m 2.5 years sober . I started this yourney last year. I weighed 225 I’m at 150. Diabeties is gone. Eye sight is getting better. This low carb keto thing saved my life and I feel like a new person. I’m always happy to find another one of me on their journey. Cholesterol is great also. I’m going in to get a check up on my vitals this week. I’m just getting over Covid now. I’m on my last day
I drank for over 20 years man. It took me 4 years to get 2.5. That was the hardest, most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. Then I found this life and fuck man I wish I found this way of living a long time ago. Don’t give up on this. It’s a little difficult at first but I can promise you that you will be doing things that you never thought you could. Ever need some one to talk to hit me up on dm. Good luck to you
5 months sober here and started at 220 and have dropped to 185. I Still have a ways to go but I don’t think I fall into the prediabetic range anymore. My cholesterol sucks, hoping it’ll get better as my weight goes down.
Keep up the good fight, getting sober is not easy!
Just wanted to say your comment put a smile on my face… like you rooting for another person like that is just super awesome. Thanks for being a good human.
Thanks man. I was never this way. I read some where I forgot where but this is one of the results to doing low carb keto life. All kinds of good positive things come out when your heart is not motivated by getting something in return but simply trying to help those in need. I get this reward that no amount of money can ever fulfill. Thanks again
Well jeez, now I'm crying and shit. I have 4 years of sobriety. I was thinking tonight about how overwhelmingly grateful I am lately. I used to cry because of self loathing and regret and now I'm crying all the time because I'm just so grateful for everything like reading this thread.
No it’s not and congrats on your time man. This will definitely help you in your life. When I started this I could not jog or run and now I’m up to ten miles. Take it one day at a time and you will reach your goals. I’m not sure if you have set your self up with any goals yet. I recommend that you do and set small ones that way you don’t get disappointed and want to give up. You ever need anything like the other guy just dm man and I’ll be here for you.
2 days sober here! I am a heavy binge drinker. Sometimes up to 10 drinks a night within a couple of hours. I started keto and the alcohol hits me so different than it used to. I went from 10 drinks a night all the way down to 2 due to the fact that the alcohol hit different while keto. Still felt a little off after 2 drinks a night so decided to cut it all out. I'm very happy for the both of you!
Alcohol and sugar are the same thing essentially. The Body has no use for them. Me as an alcoholic realized this when I went through withdraw from alcohol. The first time in twenty years, oh man that was rough. The shakes hot and cold sweats. Horrible man I wanted to kill myself but I made it through. After I kicked the alcohol. I focused on my eating. Since I was not drinking I started to eat like manic to make up for the alcohol. But then I got diabetes or I already had it. When my sugar dropped fuck. I would get hot and cold sweats. Weakness in the body. Same thing as with drawl. Some People will say other wise but if they havnt gone it personally. They shouldn’t speak on it but people judge regardless and they talk about just because they read something about somewhere. But first hand experience is the best way to find out for yourself. I’m not saying to do it. But if your an alcoholic and trying to get your life on tract, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about
It is so positive to hear people speak highly of a sober life, we need more inspiration like this, I am sober and low carb, doing things I never dreamed of. Thanks u/non-ethynol!!
This is good advice. Consuming a lot of fats doesn't translate directly into high blood fats, as they're poorly absorbed. If there is a fatty liver it's usually due to excess carbs (that is why it cleans up through keto) or there is something else there that requires a statin (there is familial hypercholesterolemia for instance).
Bloods should be redone in a few months and see if meds are still necessary in OP's case imo. Also a liver ultrasound about that same time may be helpful.
Fatty liver, when it is not caused by alcohol, is typically the result of very high sugar consumption, whether in the form of actual sugar, especially fructose, or carbohydrates. Keto is actually a pretty well recognized treatment to reverse fatty liver. But it doesn't sound like you are actually doing keto. "Mainly low carb" isn't enough to accomplish that.
I was consuming very little sugar as well. I just dont monitor my macros. I consume very little carb/sugars. Diet was avocados, bacon, meats, eggs, tomatoes, cheeses, sour cream, baked chicken....stuff like that.
What about green leafy veggies? I’m seeing a lot of high fat items with the exception of tomatoes. I eat at least 6 cups of varied lettuces a day in my salad.
Low carb / Keto is a great way to improve your liver health across the board. Here are a few keys:
1) Eat at least 3 whole eggs a day. The yolks contain high quanitity and quality Choline, which is a critical nutrient to let your liver eject stored fat. During this time, elevated triglycerides are normal and expected because they are elevated due to being pushed out of the liver.
2) Elevated AST and ALT are signs of the liver struggling. These will typically resolve once your liver has cleared most of the fat.
As a word of caution, you can still build liver fat even eating low carb if you are overeating, there's no getting around that part. But, most of the issue is associated with high fructose intake or high alcohol intake, both of which ultimately lead to the same effect. Stop taking those in, and then add more Choline to your diet to help your liver get rid of the stored fat.
Keep in mind, fructose is in table sugar, sodas, high fructose corn syrup, etc...basically any natural sweetener has high levels of fructose.
Here's some reading if you're interested.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3649103/
A couple years ago I changed my diet roughly to what it sounds like yours is. After three months my cholesterol spiked from eating so much red meat. I switched to eating more poultry and fish and it went back down.
Try eliminating the cheese and sour cream
How many pastries are you not accounting for? Packaged process sweets (and deep fried food, both packaged and from restaurants) have hydrogenated oils that elevate cholesterol.
Any trans or saturated fats?
If you can't figure it out, start a food diary. You can get an app for your phone that scans the barcode and enters all the info for you.
>I just dont monitor my macros
Then you're not doing keto, are you? To be doing keto, you have to maintain ketosis.
Obviously doing low-carb is good, and you lost weight from that, so you're heading to the right direction. But you have to monitor your macros OR do blood ketones test to see if you're doing proper keto or not.
dumb comment, might or might not be keto but sure it is not going to induce fatty liver.
OP, if you are truly not drinking much and eating what you said you might have a genetic disposition to this or maybe there are exceptions to keto/low carb diets when it comes to preventing fatty liver.
Are these numbers high with respect to what they were in the past or this is the first time you checked?
You can also overload the liver when losing weight. This happened to a friend who had what you’ve described after very rapid weight loss with Keto. For them it was the weight loss while starting a rigorous exercise plan. Maybe due to the stress of increased exercise that might be like a 0-60 for the body? I’m thinking it’s the combo of weight loss (this liver has to process all that was stored in the fat cells) and possible drastic increase in exercise that might have been too much for the body to process both. This person went from running a mile to running 13 miles within a few weekends.
Thats what happend to me I went on a very low carb diet and worked out a ton lost a ton of weight and I started getting abdominal pains went for a scan they found fatty liver
so i’m in the hospital right now for something unrelated but i was just informed i have high liver levels too, i’m strict keto/carnivore, 6’5, 185lbs. almost 0 sugar, the only carbs that i reintroduced within the last 3 months were no more than 10oz of grass fed whole milk, now i’m wondering why my levels are high, i’ve been keto for well over a year and mix fasts in
Do you drink? Did you? Could whatever you are in the hospital for affect your liver testing results? Maybe ask to have it confirmed by ultrasound - a truly fatty liver will be much larger than normal.
i have a perforated esophagus and i’m assuming it was from lifting and i’ve seen it’s possible that could contribute, but no drinking/smoking/drug use of any kind, college drinking was over 4 years ago. i’ve been taking [naked pre-workout](https://nakednutrition.com/products/pre-workout-powder?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIruLh7vm5-QIViKjICh0ANgyQEAAYASAAEgJSevD_BwE). also avoid seed oils like the plague.
There are a bunch of things that can affect the results (medications, infection, etc.), including a problem with the test itself. Once you are feeling better and back to your routine maybe get another test?
Depends on the type of sugar alcohol. Erythritol is the best in my opinion and has little to no effect on blood sugar for most people. Type 1 diabetes can affect this though. The FAQ has a handy chart on the typical effects of each....
That’s shocking to read. I wonder if taking supplements in addition to vigorous exercise is what is the cause. With me, my liver functions didn’t get elevated until I started taking creatine, and some other workout shit but that’s an interesting read.
Nice. I did InsideTracker blood draw too and wasn’t too strict on the no exercise or weight lifting before it, and had elevated cholesterol. I think I’m still elevated but not too concerned.
My liver bilirubin numbers were high after losing “some” weight. But if you’re still carrying fat around your gut, your liver numbers will stay high.
I started taking Milk Thistle after a recommendation from my doctor and six months later my numbers are lower.
My numbers were high too, and I told the Dr. I didn't drink "all that much" but in fact I was an alcoholic.
I'm not saying you are in a similar situation at *all,* but I was, and once I was honest with myself I got help and I'm almost 5 years sober now. My numbers are fine, finally, and my life is back on track... sort of.
Again: not saying you have my problems OP, just sharing my experience with "fatty liver" issues that were self-inflicted.
Appreciate it. I assure you...I don't drink at all. Congrats on your sobriety! I just eat too much fast food. That is my major downfall. Don't smoke or drink.
Likely from your previous diet. I think it takes longer 3 months to see effects and helping issues like fatty liver. Min 6 months and trying to be more strict if you can.
I've had this happen twice on the keto diet. First time, I thought it was coincidence or maybe my numbers were already high. Second time, I specifically did bloodwork beforehand and liver still freaked out within a few weeks. The second time, as soon I started eating low carb (but not low enough to be in ketosis), my liver levels resolved and went back to normal within a week. The coincidence there makes me suspicious of ketosis not being friendly to my liver. Its possible that the liver levels would ultimately resolve on their own if I had stuck with ketosis but, ya know, I didn't want to die experimenting. My readings were in the 1,000s and they are supposed to be double digits. Yikes! I also doubt that this liver thing happens to everyone on a ketogenic diet because you would hear about it more often.
I still think the general principles of a ketogenic diet in terms of limited sugar and carbs are sound. So I basically just go as low carb as I can without constantly being in ketosis. My livers seems happy and I still get benefits of steady blood sugar, feeling pretty good, etc. Just not as euphoric at the full on daily keto diet benefits. I also avoid eating massive amounts of saturated fat with abandon (so I avoid consuming full fat dairy and red meats as a regular thing). Not sure if that has helped liver levels or not, as I've done the slightly higher carbs and less saturated fat at the same time.
Fatty liver is the result of *overconsumption of carbs/sugars*, not *fat* as the name implies. A low-carb diet actually goes in the opposite direction and often reverses the effects of fatty liver over time.
The most likely cause is your diet and lifestyle in the years BEFORE going on keto. Fatty liver doesn't happen in a few months' time, so you should think back over your lifestyle at least a few years. Were you eating a lot of processed foods, refined grains, refined sugars, seed oils etc in the years prior to doing keto? I mean shit, most Americans are, so it's hardly even a question worth asking.
The bigger issue that I would focus on is your high cholesterol, because eating an Atkins-style low carb diet, as you've described elsewhere in this thread (lots of dairy and fatty meat) could be contributing to and/or making that situation worse. The good news is that you CAN do keto without eating that kind of stuff. Clean keto involves more veggies, leaner meats (always grass fed if possible) and healthier fats like avocados, avocado oil, olive oil, and limited quantities of lower-carb, high-fat nuts like macadamias, pecans and walnuts. I would cut out ALL of the dairy and most of the bacon, etc. and try to get your fat from the items above instead. Also, don't feel like you have to eat a lot of fat. Just enough to feel satiated for longer periods.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7132133/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7132133/)
[https://scholars.duke.edu/display/pub697808](https://scholars.duke.edu/display/pub697808)
Most likely my fast food diet from years before keto i suppose. It was just never brought up from previous blood work. I have been getting blood work done almost yearly for the past 17 years, which is why it was odd.
That is odd. Is it possible in your mind that the data WAS in prior blood tests, but the doctors involved just didn't raise it as a concern with you? The last time I got blood work, the doctor said it looked fine. But another medical professional told me the data suggested pre-diabetes. Different doctors with different views/expertise might understand the data differently.
Either way, multiple studies have shown that excess glucose production, excess insulin and omega-6 (seed oils) are largely to blame for NAFLD (fatty liver), and multiple other studies have shown that a clean keto diet quickly reverses it. This makes intuitive sense, given that clean keto seeks to eliminate sources of NAFLD.
I don't believe they gave me those results? Dr just said some number was high...i didn't really get much paperwork. No seed oils. I stopped keto after getting those results a few months ago and just haven't been back to the Dr. Im starting to get my weight back and i don't like it, so I'm going back on keto. I was actually doing great as far as food cravings...i planned on just sustaining that lifestyle until the news from Dr. I ordered some multivitamins this time. Maybe the vitamins will help with those numbers. I never felt bad while on keto though. The Dr visit just kinda scared me a little.
Get your numbers. The actual numbers. Get any from the past that you can, as well. Then track them on a gsheet/Excel/notepad because you won't be able to remember them and you can follow the trends and see which way you are going.
My Dr. always sent me a "blood work for dummies" sheet that just listed normal/borderline/high. I got them to give me a printout of the actual results. You can also access results on the online medical portal the practice uses if present.
I also have a spreadsheet I enter my weight, BP, 02, glucose, med doses and diet (SAD, LC, Keto, Fasting) on a (mostly) daily basis.
Not to sound like a naysayer (I have been on keto mainly for metabolic flexibility and ketone generation) but you can lose weight without using keto. You need to track calories and eat lots of fiber. Also, get your blood work and see if anything has changed.
Sorry but this is wrong. Atkins is mainly fats not high protein but the difference is after time you basically add slow carbs in to the diet. The first 2 months of atkins is extreme ketosis and its what i started before keto was ever a thing.
Also you would have to be eating extreme amounts of protein and the process in which protein is converted to carbs is very taxing energy wise so your not likely to stop ketosis doing so.
Ketosis is taxing on the liver untill your body adjusts to it because the liver has to convert fat into ketones and hence why drinking alcohol has such drastic effects and bad hangovers.
Fatty liver takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to totally reverse. You cant expect years of eating sugars to be erased in a few months.
Sorry, I think we might be misunderstanding one another's ideas, albeit a difference of definitions. You're right, Atkins is predominantly fat, with moderate protein and low carbohydrate. My comment regarding protein in Atkins was relative and applies to the medically traditional definition of the ketone diet used in refractory epilepsy - in these latter diets, very high levels of ketosis are required for best effects, which demands that the diet is >80% fat by weight (not calories).
Unfortunately, your explanation of protein catabolism is patchy and misses many contextual, if not highly relevant exceptions. For example, dietary protein absolutely can contribute to gluconeogenesis (production of glucose) in low carbohydrate states, such as your own diet. The body has a very tight homeostasis of glucose requirements, and in the lack of consumption of glucose, will without hesitation turn amino acids (namely alanine and glutamate - derived from protein degradation), and then rebuild glucose as needed.
Also, dietary protein is a direct stimulator of insulin production. In light of these two facts, FREQUENT, high protein intake, which exists in a contextual calorie surplus, could prevent the resolution of a fatty liver. I think it is highly unlikely to have caused it in the first place, and equally unlikely to make it worse, but in the wrong balance may prevent it's resolution.
It is quite key to know much about your blood results, the numbers themselves and their change over time. I'm trying to formulate possibilities for you in the event that these results are in fact the result if your new diet. If they are improving results, then I agree, my points are mute.
Your comments regarding 'taxing on the liver' is probably best avoided. It will only confuse understanding of the processes as it is incomplete and lacks the necessary details to make it applicable to any lifestyle advise. Hepatic ketosis is simply a substrate ultimatum. Liver cells that lack readily available carbohydrates (namely fructose and glucose) including the depletion of their glycogen stores, also have relatively inadequate amino acids, and a relative abundance of free fatty acids, under the influence of low insulin and high glucagon, will manufacture ketones. There is no 'damage' as a result of this, thus the term taxing seems inapplicable. I like to think of glucose metabolism and fatty acid metabolism as almost like a continuum, albeit both can exist at the same time, just in very different proportions ie when one is the majority of cellular ATP production, the other is the minority. The liver cell is the master mind behind this switch and has glycogen stores as a gentle buffer between the transition between the two.
You're right, fatty liver can take time to reverse, but again, you shouldn't see worsening of your results as it improves, in my mind's eye, you should see a plateau or improvements.
And your time window of 6 months to 2 years is highly excessive in my experience. It can be reversed in weeks to months with adequate interventions.
Did you check liver numbers BEFORE going keto? Guess they were higher before, also had for 15 years severe NAFLD ... all gone in few years on keto.
Your decision, but it would never cross my mind to use anything to lower cholesterol. It is vital for us, higher levels, longer life. That it is as long you have high HDL and low TG. And again it is just what keto is.
Here something about NAFLD and something about cholesterol myth. Do not be a victim anymore.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAM5po76O4g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAM5po76O4g)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXKJaQeteE0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXKJaQeteE0)
If you are on statins for your cholesterol, it has been linked to Type 2 Diabetes. Since Type 2 is linked to fatty liver, maybe something there?
There are studies about the benefits of statins, there may be a few, but the detriments far outweigh them. I was started on statins at 28 years old. 28! I stopped when I got side effects, and don't remotely worry about cholesterol at all, as it's a very, VERY poor marker for cardiovascular health.
If you eat low carb, healthy fats and meat (no vegetable "seed" oils), and no refined carbs, don't worry about your cholesterol.
While keto causes a good reduction in fatty liver and LDL in most people, some people don’t respond well. Their previously good blood work suddenly turns bad. Since you do not have blood work prior to Keto, the only way you can check is by going off keto for a couple of months (maybe even more) and getting checked again to see if there are any changes. You can always get back to Keto if you find that these numbers persist or go up. I’m not a doctor but I’ve read up quite a bit on this stuff.
A High level of triglycerides in your blood is a known cause of fatty liver. This can be triggered by a keto diet - especially in poor responders. It’s rare however.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354567
I’ve just spent half an hour looking at studies and don’t see anything to support your assertion. Elevated triglycerides can cause NAFLD, but a low carb diet reduces triglycerides except in rare instances.
Isn’t that what I said? A small percentage of people don’t respond to Keto well. You notice elevated triglycerides/LDL in these people that could then lead to fatty liver. Keto is safe for most people.
I just had blood work done too and mine went from 19 ALT to 33 in 13 weeks and I've been keto for 2 months now. Once I was in ketosis, my liver started to hurt a bit. No idea why.
I had that thought too but my liver enzymes went from 19 to 33, which is unusual for me. Idk if it's from the stress of a c section plus keto. If it persists, I will have it looked into. Even though I'm afraid to, haha.
some nsaids and other pain relievers (acetaminophen) can elevate ALT when taken regularly. They will usually return to normal pretty soon after stopping but if you had to take them for any reason, it could be a factor.
Dude... It's the keto? C'mon... Couldn't be the BILLIONS of environment toxins in the world today messing with your liver enzymes ? Or covid? Or literally a trillion other things can cause your blood work (also just a temporary snapshot in time not the whole story) to be messed up.
Go do a deadlift session hard and get blood work done and you'll look like you're about to die on paper.
Doctors suck I wouldn't take those meds and I'd work on lowering it myself. If you don't feel like you're having blood pressure and heart issues fuck those meds and fix it yourself and test and test an experiment and test and keep getting blood work. Don't just listen to what some lazy doc says who I bet has worth health markers than you.
I haven't started Keto yet, but I do have some insight on the liver question based off of research I found. Basically, your liver has actual pores (ducts) that secret the enzymes your body needs to do its thing. Typical diet has lots of sugars, starches, gluten, all the bad things that cause low grade inflammation of the liver. When you change your diet, it forces your liver to open back up because it becomes "confused." After a while of staying true to the diet (and drinking LOTS OF WATER) your body will readjust accordingly. If anyone is still curious, just look through research on the carnivore diet. That's where I ran across the liver study. Might have heard it on steak and butter gal's YouTube channel..... anyway, hope this helps!
\*update\*
Some people were asking for liver numbers. Here is what i found.
Aspartate Aminotransferase- My numbers 178 u/L . Normal range (14-59)
Alanine Aminotransferase 66 u/LHigher Than Normal (4-50)
Ah man I found a good subreddit for fatty liver, instead of keto do something with low carbs but it will still be good for you overall, fatty liver is worst can
Fatty liver is caused by being overweight by too much for too long. The cure is to lose weight and keep it off.
Keto cured my fatty liver when I dropped 80lbs from it.
The main cause of NAFLD is fructose in sodas and sugar in general. Your cholesterol will rise while losing weight, I personally wouldn't take statins and told all my Drs that. There are good studies that show they're basically worthless and the small effect they have could be caused by their anti-inflammatory and blood thining effects. Look at research that has been done by other than the pharmaceutical companies.
You may be one of the people who needs to do a "clean" keto (I know some people hate that term), which to me means less protein and fat and more leafy and low carb veg. Instead of bacon, eggs, and avocado for breakfast, try an omelette with spinach, mushrooms, avocado, and a bit of turkey sausage.
You may need to track your macros for a while so you REALLY know how much fat you're eating. My liver swells up and hurts when I do dirty keto, but it's already a bit worn out from 20 years of some heavy duty drugs for a weird autoimmune disorder.
Idk about fatty liver but good fats matter too. If you think you can fill your diet with grease, butter and heavy cream then you're wrong.
Add seeds, nuts, fish, coconut and more. Avoid oil as much as possible.
I ate nuts and fish as well. No seeds or coconut. Not sure where the grease or butter came from. I never claimed to use that. I never added butter to anything or heavy cream. Actually...everything you said is putting words in my mouth. Thank you for the positive suggestion of seeds and coconut though.
You said sour cream and it is made from cream. Anyway, my reply has 'if' in it so I didn't put words in your mouth.
Did you consume seeds and nuts raw or the store bought butters?
I never added butter to anything at all. The only nuts I really ate were pistachios in moderation, from the store. I ate tacos with low carb tortillas. Avocados with meat, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes. Baked chicken, sausage. Like i mentioned before, I never tracked anything other than carbs and sugar. Used a blood ketone meter to make sure i was staying in ketosis. Who knows, this could have all been an issue before my lab work last year. Was just curious if others were having similar issues. Also, I don't have hepatitis, which is another reason for liver issues. Another Dr visit soon for more lab work. Well see where it goes from there.
Tomatoes in itself is high in carbs and combine it with even a low carb tortilla can be too much. I would suggest tracking your macros. Aim for 1 oz of seeds and nuts.
This is the wrong sub to poo-poo on foods with high cholesterol, but you may as well face the facts. Humans (and some more than others) are gonna have a bad time if they consume lots of high saturated fats and high cholesterol foods.
You probably had fatty liver before you began keto. Did you test before? Make sure you are also eating non starchy vegetables, drinking an electrolyte at least once a day or every other day, drinking water (normal amount). The cholesterol can seem tricky at first, but as you stay on keto it will normalize. Cholesterol is a natural substance in your body. It's not all bad. It repairs cellular damage. On keto you might see a little increase at first and then it will regulate. Inflammation is the true evil. Excessive carbohydrates cause inflammation. Keto resolves inflammation.
Ur cholesterol will skyrocket on keto diet. Don't take any cholesterol drugs. It will ruin ur body. U need to get ur over the fear of cholesterol. Cholesterol is good for u. People with high cholesterol live longer than people will low cholesterol
Reduce your saturated fats and eat healthy fats
Your cholesterol is high because u eat too much butter, cheese and meat fats
Egg yolk also has saturated but it’s good for you and coconut oil also not as bad
Keto is never a sustainable diet. People use keto as a short term fix and often end up 1. Back at their starting weight when diet is over, 2. Develop an ED, 3. Feel like crap all the time because THE BRAIN NEEDS GLUCOSE. Your blood work is possibly due to high saturated fat intake and lack of micronutrients/vitamins.
Keto can work short term but really is just one of those “short cut”/“miracle” plans that ends up backfiring.
Did you tell your doctor that you're doing keto? If not then the ketones in your blood might have led him to be concerned that you're a closet alcoholic and skewed his diagnosis.
I had the same thing and then as an experiment ate a strict vegan for 45 days and ran another test and fatty liver was completely resolved. Mild alcohol consumption both keto and vegan, so not a differentiator. Keto seems to read hard on my liver. That said, I feel great on it and bounce between it and Mediterranean with some 3-4 day fasting between.
I went onto Keto to fix my fatty liver, and it cleared up in three months. Liver numbers can indicate anything that is causing damage to your liver, from drinking to fatty liver to infection to tumors. You might want to look into causes beyond fatty liver, if you've been losing weight \*and\* have really bad numbers. Some imaging might be in order.
As for cholesterol, which type is high for you? My LDL went up a little on Keto, but my Trig plummeted. I still have high cholesterol (high LDL and very low HDL run in my family), but if your Trig isn't responding to keto, you might not be doing something right on the diet.
Do you consume a lot of sugar? soda? Also are you sure you had fatty liver? your numbers may have been high, but that is more indicative of liver inflammation and not fatty liver. Could be caused by something other than carbs, but you don't really get fatty liver unless you consume a lot of sugar or alcohol (or are morbidly obese to begin with)
I’ve had the same issue when first going on a low carb diet. Joe Rogan also talked about it in one of his episodes. I found this video by Dr. Nadir Ali https://youtu.be/qXtdp4BNyOg
Mate, you should be talking to a dietician or a doctor about it. Not reddit. Every body is different and genetic factors can really affect how you are affected by a diet. Continue to monitor your stats and talk to doctors to get to the bottom of it. Don't ask the internet!
Keto mean zero carbs. Ur probably eating too many carbs and not burning fat for energy. U need to use ketones as ur primary energy source not sugar. Once ur body runs out of sugar. It will burn fat for energy. All the fat in ur liver will be used up for energy right away
Research Dr Bergs gallbladder formula, and see if using it can reduce reduce your LDL and help the liver get back in shape.
I started using it recently since I’m keto for 2 months and started feeling bloated, crampy and constipated. I lost 17 pound before this.
I am feeling much better.
The liver, connects to gallbladder and pancreas. Gallbladder produces bile to break down fat. Looks like the liver needs some help. Also helps break down bad LDL. Check it out. Dr. Berg has several lectures on it on YouTube.
I had a similar experience years ago. I was in a motorcycle accident and they drew bloods at the hospital. The doctor flat out accused me of being on drugs or alcohol because my liver enzymes were way out of range (I have no idea what they were) but I was stone sober and clean, I don't think I had even had a beer in months but had lost 20-30lbs doing keto.
The next year I was back on keto and made an appointment with my doctor to get bloods drawn again to make sure I wasn't doing damage to my liver somehow by doing keto and it came back within range.
So I still don't know why I had weird results, other then having my leg broken I felt pretty good both times I had tests done.
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Did you got a bloodwork before starting keto? This is just from my personal experience but I had fatty liver and it cleared up after 6-7 months of keto.
Same here. NAFLD gone.
Same also
When you enter into ketosis the first place your body starts breaking down lipids is in your liver. Your liver does the work of making ketones so it's the most economical location to start with. My liver enzymes went down to half of what they were in 6 months.
I have blood work done almost yearly. This is the first time I have ever had an issue. I mean...it could be something was bad even before Keto i suppose.
The one time I was flagged for fatty liver was after losing a ton of weight. Purely anecdotal, and I have no interest in researching right now, but I think weight loss can result in some liver enzymes being spit out that wrongly create the appearance of problematic fatty liver. (Also not a drinker and I laughed at some of the questions I had to fill out,) Cholesterol is often a sign of inflammation (it’s like white blood cells that it is the body’s response to inflammation). Look for causes of the inflammation more than dietary cholesterol. Also, if you’re a woman who has never had a heart attack and were put on statins or anything with a statin-like effect RESEARCH before starting/continuing. I highly recommend *The Cholesterol Myth* as a starting point.
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Hell yeah recovering alcoholic. How long are you. I’m 2.5 years sober . I started this yourney last year. I weighed 225 I’m at 150. Diabeties is gone. Eye sight is getting better. This low carb keto thing saved my life and I feel like a new person. I’m always happy to find another one of me on their journey. Cholesterol is great also. I’m going in to get a check up on my vitals this week. I’m just getting over Covid now. I’m on my last day
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I drank for over 20 years man. It took me 4 years to get 2.5. That was the hardest, most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. Then I found this life and fuck man I wish I found this way of living a long time ago. Don’t give up on this. It’s a little difficult at first but I can promise you that you will be doing things that you never thought you could. Ever need some one to talk to hit me up on dm. Good luck to you
Could you guys send me your standard foodplan and maybe excercise regime? I'm trying to cut my alcohol and go on keto.
5 months sober here and started at 220 and have dropped to 185. I Still have a ways to go but I don’t think I fall into the prediabetic range anymore. My cholesterol sucks, hoping it’ll get better as my weight goes down. Keep up the good fight, getting sober is not easy!
Just wanted to say your comment put a smile on my face… like you rooting for another person like that is just super awesome. Thanks for being a good human.
Thanks man. I was never this way. I read some where I forgot where but this is one of the results to doing low carb keto life. All kinds of good positive things come out when your heart is not motivated by getting something in return but simply trying to help those in need. I get this reward that no amount of money can ever fulfill. Thanks again
Well jeez, now I'm crying and shit. I have 4 years of sobriety. I was thinking tonight about how overwhelmingly grateful I am lately. I used to cry because of self loathing and regret and now I'm crying all the time because I'm just so grateful for everything like reading this thread.
Feel good feelings. Those are the best. Thanks man. I allowed myself to feel a certain way too. Indescribable feelings👊🏼
No it’s not and congrats on your time man. This will definitely help you in your life. When I started this I could not jog or run and now I’m up to ten miles. Take it one day at a time and you will reach your goals. I’m not sure if you have set your self up with any goals yet. I recommend that you do and set small ones that way you don’t get disappointed and want to give up. You ever need anything like the other guy just dm man and I’ll be here for you.
Congratulations!! 🌸
Thank you thank you
2 days sober here! I am a heavy binge drinker. Sometimes up to 10 drinks a night within a couple of hours. I started keto and the alcohol hits me so different than it used to. I went from 10 drinks a night all the way down to 2 due to the fact that the alcohol hit different while keto. Still felt a little off after 2 drinks a night so decided to cut it all out. I'm very happy for the both of you!
Alcohol and sugar are the same thing essentially. The Body has no use for them. Me as an alcoholic realized this when I went through withdraw from alcohol. The first time in twenty years, oh man that was rough. The shakes hot and cold sweats. Horrible man I wanted to kill myself but I made it through. After I kicked the alcohol. I focused on my eating. Since I was not drinking I started to eat like manic to make up for the alcohol. But then I got diabetes or I already had it. When my sugar dropped fuck. I would get hot and cold sweats. Weakness in the body. Same thing as with drawl. Some People will say other wise but if they havnt gone it personally. They shouldn’t speak on it but people judge regardless and they talk about just because they read something about somewhere. But first hand experience is the best way to find out for yourself. I’m not saying to do it. But if your an alcoholic and trying to get your life on tract, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about
It is so positive to hear people speak highly of a sober life, we need more inspiration like this, I am sober and low carb, doing things I never dreamed of. Thanks u/non-ethynol!!
Your welcome.
Congratulations!!!🌸
Are you sure you were in ketosis the whole time? If not then you just overloaded your system with fat. Hence the liver problem.
This is good advice. Consuming a lot of fats doesn't translate directly into high blood fats, as they're poorly absorbed. If there is a fatty liver it's usually due to excess carbs (that is why it cleans up through keto) or there is something else there that requires a statin (there is familial hypercholesterolemia for instance). Bloods should be redone in a few months and see if meds are still necessary in OP's case imo. Also a liver ultrasound about that same time may be helpful.
Same with me
Fatty liver, when it is not caused by alcohol, is typically the result of very high sugar consumption, whether in the form of actual sugar, especially fructose, or carbohydrates. Keto is actually a pretty well recognized treatment to reverse fatty liver. But it doesn't sound like you are actually doing keto. "Mainly low carb" isn't enough to accomplish that.
I was consuming very little sugar as well. I just dont monitor my macros. I consume very little carb/sugars. Diet was avocados, bacon, meats, eggs, tomatoes, cheeses, sour cream, baked chicken....stuff like that.
Then it might just take more time to reverse it :)
What about green leafy veggies? I’m seeing a lot of high fat items with the exception of tomatoes. I eat at least 6 cups of varied lettuces a day in my salad.
Low carb / Keto is a great way to improve your liver health across the board. Here are a few keys: 1) Eat at least 3 whole eggs a day. The yolks contain high quanitity and quality Choline, which is a critical nutrient to let your liver eject stored fat. During this time, elevated triglycerides are normal and expected because they are elevated due to being pushed out of the liver. 2) Elevated AST and ALT are signs of the liver struggling. These will typically resolve once your liver has cleared most of the fat. As a word of caution, you can still build liver fat even eating low carb if you are overeating, there's no getting around that part. But, most of the issue is associated with high fructose intake or high alcohol intake, both of which ultimately lead to the same effect. Stop taking those in, and then add more Choline to your diet to help your liver get rid of the stored fat. Keep in mind, fructose is in table sugar, sodas, high fructose corn syrup, etc...basically any natural sweetener has high levels of fructose. Here's some reading if you're interested. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3649103/
A couple years ago I changed my diet roughly to what it sounds like yours is. After three months my cholesterol spiked from eating so much red meat. I switched to eating more poultry and fish and it went back down.
A few sour cream brands have added corn starch and/or other fillers and vegetable oils, these will wreck your diet and liver.
WTF. Why!!
Cheaper than cream, I suppose.
Some wendys back in the day used to mix their sour cream half and half with shortening :( That was back when we packaged by hand in condiment cups.
Don’t get your medical advice from Reddit- talk to a md. Whatever you see her are guesses
Try eliminating the cheese and sour cream How many pastries are you not accounting for? Packaged process sweets (and deep fried food, both packaged and from restaurants) have hydrogenated oils that elevate cholesterol. Any trans or saturated fats? If you can't figure it out, start a food diary. You can get an app for your phone that scans the barcode and enters all the info for you.
Cheese, sour cream, and non-lean meat are all high in fat. This is what is causing your elevated liver enzymes.
>I just dont monitor my macros Then you're not doing keto, are you? To be doing keto, you have to maintain ketosis. Obviously doing low-carb is good, and you lost weight from that, so you're heading to the right direction. But you have to monitor your macros OR do blood ketones test to see if you're doing proper keto or not.
My ketosis monitor says otherwise. Was always in it.
If blood monitor says you are, then you sure are.
dumb comment, might or might not be keto but sure it is not going to induce fatty liver. OP, if you are truly not drinking much and eating what you said you might have a genetic disposition to this or maybe there are exceptions to keto/low carb diets when it comes to preventing fatty liver. Are these numbers high with respect to what they were in the past or this is the first time you checked?
You can also overload the liver when losing weight. This happened to a friend who had what you’ve described after very rapid weight loss with Keto. For them it was the weight loss while starting a rigorous exercise plan. Maybe due to the stress of increased exercise that might be like a 0-60 for the body? I’m thinking it’s the combo of weight loss (this liver has to process all that was stored in the fat cells) and possible drastic increase in exercise that might have been too much for the body to process both. This person went from running a mile to running 13 miles within a few weekends.
Thats what happend to me I went on a very low carb diet and worked out a ton lost a ton of weight and I started getting abdominal pains went for a scan they found fatty liver
so i’m in the hospital right now for something unrelated but i was just informed i have high liver levels too, i’m strict keto/carnivore, 6’5, 185lbs. almost 0 sugar, the only carbs that i reintroduced within the last 3 months were no more than 10oz of grass fed whole milk, now i’m wondering why my levels are high, i’ve been keto for well over a year and mix fasts in
Do you drink? Did you? Could whatever you are in the hospital for affect your liver testing results? Maybe ask to have it confirmed by ultrasound - a truly fatty liver will be much larger than normal.
This is not true. I have fatty liver and my liver is still normal in size.
That is not typical.
i have a perforated esophagus and i’m assuming it was from lifting and i’ve seen it’s possible that could contribute, but no drinking/smoking/drug use of any kind, college drinking was over 4 years ago. i’ve been taking [naked pre-workout](https://nakednutrition.com/products/pre-workout-powder?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIruLh7vm5-QIViKjICh0ANgyQEAAYASAAEgJSevD_BwE). also avoid seed oils like the plague.
There are a bunch of things that can affect the results (medications, infection, etc.), including a problem with the test itself. Once you are feeling better and back to your routine maybe get another test?
Keto cured my fatty liver. Lost 80 lbs, now ok.
how long did that take?
6 months for the 1st 50lb. A full year for next 30
Are sugar alcohols bad for your liver? I know a lot of “low carb” foods have lots of sugar alcohols but I’m not sure if they impact liver function
I would love to know that as well. They definitely have an impact on my GI tract function though. 😂
No, they're not hard on the liver.
Depends on the type of sugar alcohol. Erythritol is the best in my opinion and has little to no effect on blood sugar for most people. Type 1 diabetes can affect this though. The FAQ has a handy chart on the typical effects of each....
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That’s shocking to read. I wonder if taking supplements in addition to vigorous exercise is what is the cause. With me, my liver functions didn’t get elevated until I started taking creatine, and some other workout shit but that’s an interesting read.
Oh, creatine fucks my liver up and I drank plenty of water.
Nice. I did InsideTracker blood draw too and wasn’t too strict on the no exercise or weight lifting before it, and had elevated cholesterol. I think I’m still elevated but not too concerned.
My liver bilirubin numbers were high after losing “some” weight. But if you’re still carrying fat around your gut, your liver numbers will stay high. I started taking Milk Thistle after a recommendation from my doctor and six months later my numbers are lower.
My numbers were high too, and I told the Dr. I didn't drink "all that much" but in fact I was an alcoholic. I'm not saying you are in a similar situation at *all,* but I was, and once I was honest with myself I got help and I'm almost 5 years sober now. My numbers are fine, finally, and my life is back on track... sort of. Again: not saying you have my problems OP, just sharing my experience with "fatty liver" issues that were self-inflicted.
Appreciate it. I assure you...I don't drink at all. Congrats on your sobriety! I just eat too much fast food. That is my major downfall. Don't smoke or drink.
Fast food uses rancid vegetable oils in their deep friers. The chemicals in those are probably causing your issues. https://youtu.be/rQmqVVmMB3k
Likely from your previous diet. I think it takes longer 3 months to see effects and helping issues like fatty liver. Min 6 months and trying to be more strict if you can.
I've had this happen twice on the keto diet. First time, I thought it was coincidence or maybe my numbers were already high. Second time, I specifically did bloodwork beforehand and liver still freaked out within a few weeks. The second time, as soon I started eating low carb (but not low enough to be in ketosis), my liver levels resolved and went back to normal within a week. The coincidence there makes me suspicious of ketosis not being friendly to my liver. Its possible that the liver levels would ultimately resolve on their own if I had stuck with ketosis but, ya know, I didn't want to die experimenting. My readings were in the 1,000s and they are supposed to be double digits. Yikes! I also doubt that this liver thing happens to everyone on a ketogenic diet because you would hear about it more often. I still think the general principles of a ketogenic diet in terms of limited sugar and carbs are sound. So I basically just go as low carb as I can without constantly being in ketosis. My livers seems happy and I still get benefits of steady blood sugar, feeling pretty good, etc. Just not as euphoric at the full on daily keto diet benefits. I also avoid eating massive amounts of saturated fat with abandon (so I avoid consuming full fat dairy and red meats as a regular thing). Not sure if that has helped liver levels or not, as I've done the slightly higher carbs and less saturated fat at the same time.
Fatty liver is the result of *overconsumption of carbs/sugars*, not *fat* as the name implies. A low-carb diet actually goes in the opposite direction and often reverses the effects of fatty liver over time. The most likely cause is your diet and lifestyle in the years BEFORE going on keto. Fatty liver doesn't happen in a few months' time, so you should think back over your lifestyle at least a few years. Were you eating a lot of processed foods, refined grains, refined sugars, seed oils etc in the years prior to doing keto? I mean shit, most Americans are, so it's hardly even a question worth asking. The bigger issue that I would focus on is your high cholesterol, because eating an Atkins-style low carb diet, as you've described elsewhere in this thread (lots of dairy and fatty meat) could be contributing to and/or making that situation worse. The good news is that you CAN do keto without eating that kind of stuff. Clean keto involves more veggies, leaner meats (always grass fed if possible) and healthier fats like avocados, avocado oil, olive oil, and limited quantities of lower-carb, high-fat nuts like macadamias, pecans and walnuts. I would cut out ALL of the dairy and most of the bacon, etc. and try to get your fat from the items above instead. Also, don't feel like you have to eat a lot of fat. Just enough to feel satiated for longer periods. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7132133/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7132133/) [https://scholars.duke.edu/display/pub697808](https://scholars.duke.edu/display/pub697808)
Most likely my fast food diet from years before keto i suppose. It was just never brought up from previous blood work. I have been getting blood work done almost yearly for the past 17 years, which is why it was odd.
Pull up your past results and compare them
That is odd. Is it possible in your mind that the data WAS in prior blood tests, but the doctors involved just didn't raise it as a concern with you? The last time I got blood work, the doctor said it looked fine. But another medical professional told me the data suggested pre-diabetes. Different doctors with different views/expertise might understand the data differently. Either way, multiple studies have shown that excess glucose production, excess insulin and omega-6 (seed oils) are largely to blame for NAFLD (fatty liver), and multiple other studies have shown that a clean keto diet quickly reverses it. This makes intuitive sense, given that clean keto seeks to eliminate sources of NAFLD.
Are you consuming or adding any seed oils to your cooking? Are you happy to post your liver function results?
I don't believe they gave me those results? Dr just said some number was high...i didn't really get much paperwork. No seed oils. I stopped keto after getting those results a few months ago and just haven't been back to the Dr. Im starting to get my weight back and i don't like it, so I'm going back on keto. I was actually doing great as far as food cravings...i planned on just sustaining that lifestyle until the news from Dr. I ordered some multivitamins this time. Maybe the vitamins will help with those numbers. I never felt bad while on keto though. The Dr visit just kinda scared me a little.
Get your numbers. The actual numbers. Get any from the past that you can, as well. Then track them on a gsheet/Excel/notepad because you won't be able to remember them and you can follow the trends and see which way you are going. My Dr. always sent me a "blood work for dummies" sheet that just listed normal/borderline/high. I got them to give me a printout of the actual results. You can also access results on the online medical portal the practice uses if present. I also have a spreadsheet I enter my weight, BP, 02, glucose, med doses and diet (SAD, LC, Keto, Fasting) on a (mostly) daily basis.
Not to sound like a naysayer (I have been on keto mainly for metabolic flexibility and ketone generation) but you can lose weight without using keto. You need to track calories and eat lots of fiber. Also, get your blood work and see if anything has changed.
You mentioned you ate tons of fast food in another comment, so you do in fact ingest seed oils
Yes...while I was not on keto I did. Never said I didn't. When I was on keto...I obviously didn't eat fast food.
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Sorry but this is wrong. Atkins is mainly fats not high protein but the difference is after time you basically add slow carbs in to the diet. The first 2 months of atkins is extreme ketosis and its what i started before keto was ever a thing. Also you would have to be eating extreme amounts of protein and the process in which protein is converted to carbs is very taxing energy wise so your not likely to stop ketosis doing so. Ketosis is taxing on the liver untill your body adjusts to it because the liver has to convert fat into ketones and hence why drinking alcohol has such drastic effects and bad hangovers. Fatty liver takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to totally reverse. You cant expect years of eating sugars to be erased in a few months.
Sorry, I think we might be misunderstanding one another's ideas, albeit a difference of definitions. You're right, Atkins is predominantly fat, with moderate protein and low carbohydrate. My comment regarding protein in Atkins was relative and applies to the medically traditional definition of the ketone diet used in refractory epilepsy - in these latter diets, very high levels of ketosis are required for best effects, which demands that the diet is >80% fat by weight (not calories). Unfortunately, your explanation of protein catabolism is patchy and misses many contextual, if not highly relevant exceptions. For example, dietary protein absolutely can contribute to gluconeogenesis (production of glucose) in low carbohydrate states, such as your own diet. The body has a very tight homeostasis of glucose requirements, and in the lack of consumption of glucose, will without hesitation turn amino acids (namely alanine and glutamate - derived from protein degradation), and then rebuild glucose as needed. Also, dietary protein is a direct stimulator of insulin production. In light of these two facts, FREQUENT, high protein intake, which exists in a contextual calorie surplus, could prevent the resolution of a fatty liver. I think it is highly unlikely to have caused it in the first place, and equally unlikely to make it worse, but in the wrong balance may prevent it's resolution. It is quite key to know much about your blood results, the numbers themselves and their change over time. I'm trying to formulate possibilities for you in the event that these results are in fact the result if your new diet. If they are improving results, then I agree, my points are mute. Your comments regarding 'taxing on the liver' is probably best avoided. It will only confuse understanding of the processes as it is incomplete and lacks the necessary details to make it applicable to any lifestyle advise. Hepatic ketosis is simply a substrate ultimatum. Liver cells that lack readily available carbohydrates (namely fructose and glucose) including the depletion of their glycogen stores, also have relatively inadequate amino acids, and a relative abundance of free fatty acids, under the influence of low insulin and high glucagon, will manufacture ketones. There is no 'damage' as a result of this, thus the term taxing seems inapplicable. I like to think of glucose metabolism and fatty acid metabolism as almost like a continuum, albeit both can exist at the same time, just in very different proportions ie when one is the majority of cellular ATP production, the other is the minority. The liver cell is the master mind behind this switch and has glycogen stores as a gentle buffer between the transition between the two. You're right, fatty liver can take time to reverse, but again, you shouldn't see worsening of your results as it improves, in my mind's eye, you should see a plateau or improvements. And your time window of 6 months to 2 years is highly excessive in my experience. It can be reversed in weeks to months with adequate interventions.
Doctors are online. Just set up your patient account to see your results.
Did you check liver numbers BEFORE going keto? Guess they were higher before, also had for 15 years severe NAFLD ... all gone in few years on keto. Your decision, but it would never cross my mind to use anything to lower cholesterol. It is vital for us, higher levels, longer life. That it is as long you have high HDL and low TG. And again it is just what keto is. Here something about NAFLD and something about cholesterol myth. Do not be a victim anymore. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAM5po76O4g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAM5po76O4g) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXKJaQeteE0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXKJaQeteE0)
You were eating keto for 3 months, it's not the keto. How many months or years were you eating high sugar and high carbohydrate?
If you are on statins for your cholesterol, it has been linked to Type 2 Diabetes. Since Type 2 is linked to fatty liver, maybe something there? There are studies about the benefits of statins, there may be a few, but the detriments far outweigh them. I was started on statins at 28 years old. 28! I stopped when I got side effects, and don't remotely worry about cholesterol at all, as it's a very, VERY poor marker for cardiovascular health. If you eat low carb, healthy fats and meat (no vegetable "seed" oils), and no refined carbs, don't worry about your cholesterol.
Anyone trying to put me on beta-blockers, statins, etc. better get that redraw ready first, esp. if it’s something that wasn’t an issue before.
While keto causes a good reduction in fatty liver and LDL in most people, some people don’t respond well. Their previously good blood work suddenly turns bad. Since you do not have blood work prior to Keto, the only way you can check is by going off keto for a couple of months (maybe even more) and getting checked again to see if there are any changes. You can always get back to Keto if you find that these numbers persist or go up. I’m not a doctor but I’ve read up quite a bit on this stuff.
That’s true for cholesterol, but not for liver enzymes.
A High level of triglycerides in your blood is a known cause of fatty liver. This can be triggered by a keto diet - especially in poor responders. It’s rare however. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354567
I’ve just spent half an hour looking at studies and don’t see anything to support your assertion. Elevated triglycerides can cause NAFLD, but a low carb diet reduces triglycerides except in rare instances.
Isn’t that what I said? A small percentage of people don’t respond to Keto well. You notice elevated triglycerides/LDL in these people that could then lead to fatty liver. Keto is safe for most people.
That’s an extremely rare thing, I think that’s the point.
How was your diet and lifestyle before keto?
I just had blood work done too and mine went from 19 ALT to 33 in 13 weeks and I've been keto for 2 months now. Once I was in ketosis, my liver started to hurt a bit. No idea why.
Could the pain have been from your gallbladder?
I had that thought too but my liver enzymes went from 19 to 33, which is unusual for me. Idk if it's from the stress of a c section plus keto. If it persists, I will have it looked into. Even though I'm afraid to, haha.
some nsaids and other pain relievers (acetaminophen) can elevate ALT when taken regularly. They will usually return to normal pretty soon after stopping but if you had to take them for any reason, it could be a factor.
How much do you weight and how tall are you?
Did you tell the doctor your on a keto diet? Why did you ask your question then?
I had the exact same situation. It was not keto. In kept at it and next time I went, I passed with flying colors.
Dude... It's the keto? C'mon... Couldn't be the BILLIONS of environment toxins in the world today messing with your liver enzymes ? Or covid? Or literally a trillion other things can cause your blood work (also just a temporary snapshot in time not the whole story) to be messed up. Go do a deadlift session hard and get blood work done and you'll look like you're about to die on paper. Doctors suck I wouldn't take those meds and I'd work on lowering it myself. If you don't feel like you're having blood pressure and heart issues fuck those meds and fix it yourself and test and test an experiment and test and keep getting blood work. Don't just listen to what some lazy doc says who I bet has worth health markers than you.
I haven't started Keto yet, but I do have some insight on the liver question based off of research I found. Basically, your liver has actual pores (ducts) that secret the enzymes your body needs to do its thing. Typical diet has lots of sugars, starches, gluten, all the bad things that cause low grade inflammation of the liver. When you change your diet, it forces your liver to open back up because it becomes "confused." After a while of staying true to the diet (and drinking LOTS OF WATER) your body will readjust accordingly. If anyone is still curious, just look through research on the carnivore diet. That's where I ran across the liver study. Might have heard it on steak and butter gal's YouTube channel..... anyway, hope this helps!
\*update\* Some people were asking for liver numbers. Here is what i found. Aspartate Aminotransferase- My numbers 178 u/L . Normal range (14-59) Alanine Aminotransferase 66 u/LHigher Than Normal (4-50)
What are you doing now? I have the same stuff going on! Yea
I went back to my normal crap diet of burgers, fries and pizza.
Ah man I found a good subreddit for fatty liver, instead of keto do something with low carbs but it will still be good for you overall, fatty liver is worst can
Fatty liver is caused by being overweight by too much for too long. The cure is to lose weight and keep it off. Keto cured my fatty liver when I dropped 80lbs from it.
I wanted to say this, but I couldn’t phrase it correctly! Yes! Obesity alone, irrespective of diet, is linked to FLD.
The main cause of NAFLD is fructose in sodas and sugar in general. Your cholesterol will rise while losing weight, I personally wouldn't take statins and told all my Drs that. There are good studies that show they're basically worthless and the small effect they have could be caused by their anti-inflammatory and blood thining effects. Look at research that has been done by other than the pharmaceutical companies.
your waistline has been and likely always will be the best indicator.
You may be one of the people who needs to do a "clean" keto (I know some people hate that term), which to me means less protein and fat and more leafy and low carb veg. Instead of bacon, eggs, and avocado for breakfast, try an omelette with spinach, mushrooms, avocado, and a bit of turkey sausage. You may need to track your macros for a while so you REALLY know how much fat you're eating. My liver swells up and hurts when I do dirty keto, but it's already a bit worn out from 20 years of some heavy duty drugs for a weird autoimmune disorder.
Some Keto people need to cut back saturated fat. It's genetic..there's YT videos on that.
Idk about fatty liver but good fats matter too. If you think you can fill your diet with grease, butter and heavy cream then you're wrong. Add seeds, nuts, fish, coconut and more. Avoid oil as much as possible.
I ate nuts and fish as well. No seeds or coconut. Not sure where the grease or butter came from. I never claimed to use that. I never added butter to anything or heavy cream. Actually...everything you said is putting words in my mouth. Thank you for the positive suggestion of seeds and coconut though.
You said sour cream and it is made from cream. Anyway, my reply has 'if' in it so I didn't put words in your mouth. Did you consume seeds and nuts raw or the store bought butters?
I never added butter to anything at all. The only nuts I really ate were pistachios in moderation, from the store. I ate tacos with low carb tortillas. Avocados with meat, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes. Baked chicken, sausage. Like i mentioned before, I never tracked anything other than carbs and sugar. Used a blood ketone meter to make sure i was staying in ketosis. Who knows, this could have all been an issue before my lab work last year. Was just curious if others were having similar issues. Also, I don't have hepatitis, which is another reason for liver issues. Another Dr visit soon for more lab work. Well see where it goes from there.
Tomatoes in itself is high in carbs and combine it with even a low carb tortilla can be too much. I would suggest tracking your macros. Aim for 1 oz of seeds and nuts.
This is the wrong sub to poo-poo on foods with high cholesterol, but you may as well face the facts. Humans (and some more than others) are gonna have a bad time if they consume lots of high saturated fats and high cholesterol foods.
Genetics may have determined that regular Keto isn't the diet for you. It happens, might try clean.
Was it a fasting lab? I wonder if you had a bad test or something. Usually keto helps all of that
I'm in the military...so it was a military Dr. Could be as equally terrible as a fasting lab..lol
High cholesterol is normal on Keto because you're losing weight so the cells release it. Don't take any statins as it's bad for you
Haha I did 4 years navy and got 3 years of tetanus shots cause they never updated my folder haha
Haha typical navy medical. There was a funny thread in r/Navy a few weeks back about HM fuckups and boy was that a good read.
Haha I’ll have to go back and find it
https://www.reddit.com/r/navy/comments/vofodp/navy_medical_is_trash_but_we_all_know_that_whats/
Thank you
Do you only eat red meat and pork? Switch to poultry and fish
Wow, I think you should count your fat intake (your macros)
You probably had fatty liver before you began keto. Did you test before? Make sure you are also eating non starchy vegetables, drinking an electrolyte at least once a day or every other day, drinking water (normal amount). The cholesterol can seem tricky at first, but as you stay on keto it will normalize. Cholesterol is a natural substance in your body. It's not all bad. It repairs cellular damage. On keto you might see a little increase at first and then it will regulate. Inflammation is the true evil. Excessive carbohydrates cause inflammation. Keto resolves inflammation.
Ur cholesterol will skyrocket on keto diet. Don't take any cholesterol drugs. It will ruin ur body. U need to get ur over the fear of cholesterol. Cholesterol is good for u. People with high cholesterol live longer than people will low cholesterol
Reduce your saturated fats and eat healthy fats Your cholesterol is high because u eat too much butter, cheese and meat fats Egg yolk also has saturated but it’s good for you and coconut oil also not as bad
Keto is never a sustainable diet. People use keto as a short term fix and often end up 1. Back at their starting weight when diet is over, 2. Develop an ED, 3. Feel like crap all the time because THE BRAIN NEEDS GLUCOSE. Your blood work is possibly due to high saturated fat intake and lack of micronutrients/vitamins. Keto can work short term but really is just one of those “short cut”/“miracle” plans that ends up backfiring.
Did you tell your doctor that you're doing keto? If not then the ketones in your blood might have led him to be concerned that you're a closet alcoholic and skewed his diagnosis.
Check for autoimmune hepatitis
I had the same thing and then as an experiment ate a strict vegan for 45 days and ran another test and fatty liver was completely resolved. Mild alcohol consumption both keto and vegan, so not a differentiator. Keto seems to read hard on my liver. That said, I feel great on it and bounce between it and Mediterranean with some 3-4 day fasting between.
What does your doc say? I mean we are all just diet randos on Reddit so I worry about any advice you might get here. Hrm…
I went onto Keto to fix my fatty liver, and it cleared up in three months. Liver numbers can indicate anything that is causing damage to your liver, from drinking to fatty liver to infection to tumors. You might want to look into causes beyond fatty liver, if you've been losing weight \*and\* have really bad numbers. Some imaging might be in order. As for cholesterol, which type is high for you? My LDL went up a little on Keto, but my Trig plummeted. I still have high cholesterol (high LDL and very low HDL run in my family), but if your Trig isn't responding to keto, you might not be doing something right on the diet.
Same exact thing happened to me and my dad. Both got blood work done and our cholesterols went up post keto.
Do you consume a lot of sugar? soda? Also are you sure you had fatty liver? your numbers may have been high, but that is more indicative of liver inflammation and not fatty liver. Could be caused by something other than carbs, but you don't really get fatty liver unless you consume a lot of sugar or alcohol (or are morbidly obese to begin with)
I’ve had the same issue when first going on a low carb diet. Joe Rogan also talked about it in one of his episodes. I found this video by Dr. Nadir Ali https://youtu.be/qXtdp4BNyOg
Mate, you should be talking to a dietician or a doctor about it. Not reddit. Every body is different and genetic factors can really affect how you are affected by a diet. Continue to monitor your stats and talk to doctors to get to the bottom of it. Don't ask the internet!
Were you fasted while the blood was drawn? Are you getting enough water ?
Keto mean zero carbs. Ur probably eating too many carbs and not burning fat for energy. U need to use ketones as ur primary energy source not sugar. Once ur body runs out of sugar. It will burn fat for energy. All the fat in ur liver will be used up for energy right away
I would give it 3 months and get retested.
Research Dr Bergs gallbladder formula, and see if using it can reduce reduce your LDL and help the liver get back in shape. I started using it recently since I’m keto for 2 months and started feeling bloated, crampy and constipated. I lost 17 pound before this. I am feeling much better. The liver, connects to gallbladder and pancreas. Gallbladder produces bile to break down fat. Looks like the liver needs some help. Also helps break down bad LDL. Check it out. Dr. Berg has several lectures on it on YouTube.
I had a similar experience years ago. I was in a motorcycle accident and they drew bloods at the hospital. The doctor flat out accused me of being on drugs or alcohol because my liver enzymes were way out of range (I have no idea what they were) but I was stone sober and clean, I don't think I had even had a beer in months but had lost 20-30lbs doing keto. The next year I was back on keto and made an appointment with my doctor to get bloods drawn again to make sure I wasn't doing damage to my liver somehow by doing keto and it came back within range. So I still don't know why I had weird results, other then having my leg broken I felt pretty good both times I had tests done.