keto and elevated liver enzymes

[Nutello]

Hi there, ever since embarking on clean keto my cholesterol has risen and I was diagnosed with NAFLD. I also have had slightly elevated liver enzymes for a year now. Anyone else experience this? I am stopping keto and going back to how I used to eat which included good complex carbs

[JumpJiving]

 Nutello Your cholesterol (presumably LDL) rising whilst on keto is unsurprising. Best to avoid animal-based saturated fats (with the exception of eggs in moderation and fermented dairy - cheese and yoghurt)

My GGT level (which had been over range for years) dropped dramatically when I moved to a more Mediterranean diet, mostly plant-based, and with almost no refined carbohydrates

[Nutello in reply to JumpJiving]

Thank you for your reply, yes I am now firmly on the Mediterranean diet. For years I have been having 2 eggs a day, I am now having oatmeal and other good complex carbs, so we shall see 🤞🏻

[JumpJiving in reply to Nutello]

   Nutello Wholegrains and soluble fibres are great. Refined carbs and those carbs that are digested quickly can actually increase LDL cholesterol.

For women, LDL cholesterol goes up post-menopause.

The good thing is that switching diet appropriately shows a difference in 10 days and can show a significant change in one month.

You might want to watch this Zoe podcast, although do get to the end as the language can be a bit woolly in places - youtu.be/euSd9bsFwxc?si=nLY...(Not working as expected?)

[Nutello in reply to JumpJiving]

Thank you, much appreciated! I am really hoping this change of diet will be the answer as 2024 was a very frustrating year. I thought I was doing everything right and was seeing no improvement. I have always been skinny and cannot afford to lose weight so I think that’s why the low carb diet never worked for me and just made my enzymes worse.

[JumpJiving in reply to Nutello]

Nutello Yes, low carb diets have issues too - the important thing is to get the right type of carbs

[Yawn_along]

Hi, I followed the Keto diet almost religiously for nearly 3 years from 2014 to 2017, felt good, lost any excess weight and kept it off. Some time towards the end of 2017, I began feeling so fatigued the whole time, and carbs became a craving for energy. I was finally diagnosed with ME which I believe had been progressing for a long time before, but has become progressively worse, and is much more debilitating.

Its very hard to exercise due to the fatigue and the need to take meds for pain, but I too was shocked to be diagnosed with NAFLD in 2021. I had put weight on and was treated as if I had been overweight all my life, although just the opposite, was always active and an avid gym goer. Never stopped rushing around. I lost 10% of my total weight as suggested, but have found it much harder to keep off and the Mediterranean was suggested for me too. Somehow, I've found that much harder to follow, but it makes a lot of sense, my diet has never consisted of convenience or processed foods however.

I have learnt that NAFLD is not always caused by diet, although being overweight contributes to it, but it can be hormonal, thru lack of exercise and taking long term medication, as well as having your gallbladder removed (which I had nearly 30 years ago) and was a huge mistake.

I believe that keto is beneficial although I probably went extreme doing it all that time. A lot depends on other contributing factors going on inside our bodies, and cholesterol isn't necessarily the baddie - I think it gets too much hype. I don't believe very high levels should be ignored, but it sometimes borderline levels appear to be obsessed over, everyone is different.