Cholesterol and fatty liver

[x_b_x]

So for a while now I just haven’t felt myself. I have gained 5 stone in the last year after been really slim my whole life and I have gone from been an active person to a tired sluggish person, it is really getting me down. Most of my problems came about after going on the Depo Provera contraceptive injection in which I have been off 9 months now and still had no changes in how I feel.

The GP referred me to someone at hospital to see if it was Cushings Disease that was causing my problems which has since been ruled out since all my tests came back clear. However she did some tests for my Cholesterol and other things.

Here are my results.

Cholesterol – 7.4 mmol/L

Triglycerides – 3.00 mmol/L

Alanine Transferase – 48 u/l

25-OH Vit D – 30 nmol/L

Around 2 months ago I also had a scan on my liver, this came back that there were large amounts of fat on my liver. I get a lot of pain in the top of stomach just underneath my breasts on right side and it is solid to touch. I always have a dull aching pain there and feel so sluggish all the time.

The GP never said anymore about it though till after I seen the specialist which has since ruled out the problems in which the GP thought I had. This GP has now gone on maternity leave, I went back to the doctors before I had the results but the lady I seen said as she was new she did not know what to suggest now and that she would give me a call within 2 weeks which I haven’t heard from yet.

I got the above results in the post the other day and called the GP surgery asking someone to call me and explain the results as I did not understand what they are for.

Today I got this call, but as it was only a 5 minute phone call she spent most of the time on the phone trying to find the letter in which the specialist had sent with the results on, then when she came to talk about it she just said because I had the blood test done in a hospital that isn’t part of their group or something like that then I would have to have the blood test taken again at the GP surgery, which I found annoying.

I just wanted a bit of advice really on my results and if anyone knows if they are normal or not. Also the fat on my liver is a concern, is it something I should be concerned about and something I need to get sorted?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Bazza1234]

I would be interested to see what your average daily diet looks like - that triglyceride level seems very high to me - do you eat/drink a lot of sweet foods/drinks? -- wine???

[x_b_x in reply to Bazza1234]

I don't drink alcohol at all and never have. I don't or ever smoked either.

My food intake daily consist of porridge for breakfast, I then have fruit and nuts to snack on in 2 hour intervals until lunch. Lunch I have rice or salad and then again some fruit till dinner. Dinner usually is a stir fry or homemade curry things like that.

I don't eat much lately, when I do eat I feel full so quick or feel sick I just get put off eating.

[Bazza1234 in reply to x_b_x]

certainly something not right here - I can't see how a diet like that could put on 35 kgs in 1 year!! Definitely some medical input is needed.

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to x_b_x]

You are consuming hidden sugars. Foods that are considered simple carbohydrates, therefore convert to sugar in the body and increase your triglyceride levels as well as LDL-C, are:

white rice, white pasta, white bread, white potatoes, dough used in pizza and other similar foods.

Packaged goods - read the labels- anything containing an ingredient ending in 'ose' such as fructose, glucose, dextrose etc...molasses are sugar.

Packaged goods also contain some hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. In general you should stay away from packaged and processed products and eat food as close as possible to its raw state. In other words, you need to cook for yourself and be careful when ordering out at a restaurant.

Sugar is highly addictive in all of its forms watch these 2 videos:

youtu.be/aIc6iF5k9v4(Not working as expected?)

youtu.be/bDWN5FLgbdI(Not working as expected?)

You can have one glass of red wine per day, the resveratol helps with reducing LDL and is an antioxidant. Oxidized cholesterol initiates plaque formation in the arteries.

Your total cholesterol levels are unimportant. You need to get values for the components. Under a normal lipid panel, you should get results for Triglycerides, HDL-C, LDL-C, and non-HDL-C. The non-HDL and the HDL-C values are probably the most useful, although you'll need the total cholesterol number to get your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-C.

The best measure of atherogenic particles is the ApoB. ApoA-1 is anti-atherogenic which means it helps to clear out the artery clogging ApoB particles.

You also need to exercise, as it will improve all of your cholesterol values. You must have a brisk 30 minute walk every day, without exception, if you are in the early stages of heart disease or at risk of type-2 diabetes.

You should follow the Pritikin Diet pritikin.com/healthiest-die...

Read all of my posts starting with 'Getting Off Statins'

Good luck.

[maree12 in reply to x_b_x]

It strikes me that such a rigid diet would be very stressful to maintain. Have you had your cortisol levels tested?

[maree12 in reply to x_b_x]

Sounds like you must have picked the wrong parents. I am assuming that you are unhappy because you cannot lose weight. I struggle because my entire female family on my mother's side have always carried weight across their back, on their thighs and hips, so guess what, so do I

[sandybrown]

I am sorry to hear about your problems and weight gain.

I cannot believe one can put on 70 pounds so quickly!

If the system is saying the GP practice need to do full blood test before any discussion, please go for full blood tests. GP practice many want to do blood lipid and blood glucose.

Cholesterol and blood glucose can be controlled by food intake and regular exercise.

Please ask your GP surgery if you need a fasting blood test?

Once you have your GP blood test results available do please ask questions on QRISK analysis and full explanation.

To bring your weight down, you need to control food intake portion, cut out all sugar from your food intake.

Do you know your BMI or weight to height before weight gain and now just to compare?

At the moment I am on a freelearn obesity course delivered by University of Reading, have learned a lot! I am over weight and have been al my life.

You also need to take action on the liver problem.

Take care.

[x_b_x in reply to sandybrown]

I went for some blood test at the GP surgery today so will ring in a few days for results. They also tested my FSH levels for menopause. I did four home menopause tests as a last resort for my symptoms and they all came back positive. They said sometimes the depo can cause early menopause in some women.

[Penel]

Perhaps it would be a good idea to read up on the liver problem? Perhaps you may have to consider a lower carbohydrate, lower fruit diet

britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

[kasibarndoor]

LCHF diet would probably sort the triglyceride levels as well.

[sos007 Ambassador]

Fat around the organs often leads to cancer of those organs. Your cholesterol is too high and your triglycerides are too high. Right now your ALT level is fine. Your Vitamin D level is too low, but that's common for people in the Northern Hemisphere - get some Vitamin D supplements.

You are obviously too overweight. There may be a thyroid issue - you should be seeing a doctor about that.

In the meantime, you need to lose weight. To start, you must walk daily - 30 minutes minimum. As you lose weight you will find this easier and will increase your intensity.

Diet:

When we say diet we don't mean caloric restriction, we mean the list of foods we eat daily. That said, understand what a normal portion size is and don't go back for seconds.

Step 1

Sugar in your diet must be reduced and eventually eliminated.

First eliminate simple sugars, such as any form of sugar - white, raw, honey, agave, maple syrup and anything else that is a sugar substitute.

Step 2

Then eliminate foods that contain sugars such as soft drinks, and packaged goods. Packaged goods in general are bad for you because of hydrogenated vegetable oils and hidden sugars. Read the labels, anything that has an ingredient ending in 'ose' or has the word 'syrup' in it, as well as molasses.

Even packaged foods that you don't expect sugar as an ingredient, actually contain sugar such as pasta sauces, salad dressings etc... Your best salad dressing is extra virgin olive oil with some balsamic vinegar. Avoid store bought dressings and sauces. Make your own tomato sauce if you eat pasta - it is very simple. Go online and get some recipes for marinara sauce.

Packaged baked goods like cookies, donuts, croissants etc...should be avoided at all cost. Even the real stuff should be avoided - baked goods are full of oxidated vegetable oil that occurs in the cooking process.

Step 3

Stop eating simple carbohydrates - foods that your body converts to sugar such as: white bread and other white flour products, white rice, white pasta, white potatoes. You may replace with whole grain bread, brown rice and whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes.

You can have quinoa as an alternative to these types of foods - quinoa is technically a seed and not a grain so it is high in protein and much healthier for you. Diets high in protein and low in carbohydrates induce weight loss.

Step 4

Each day eat one apple, one orange and a bowl of blueberries. You can do this at any time throughout the day. The earlier in the day you do it, the fuller you will feel and you'll end of avoiding some of the junk food. In addition, have at least one salad per day, ideally arugula or spinach or a mix of the two. Leafy greens are great for reducing cholesterol and blood pressure. They are also full of antioxidants that help fight heart disease and cancer. Drink 3 cups of Green Tea per day. Get the decaffeinated kind so you don't end up being jittery.

If you get to this point send a message to me sos007 and I'll provide some more input. Read all of my posts.

Oh and one more thing, alcohol converts to sugar in the body, so restrict consumption to one 4-5 oz glass per day. Ideally red wine as it helps to reduce cholesterol. Avoid hard liquor.

Good luck.

[susieanna in reply to sos007]

wow! this really would be a healthy diet!

[susieanna]

Go on a healthy diet re the fatty liver; fatty liver can lead to cirrhosis. And you don't want that.