3 weeks Keto - now HIGH ALT/AST liver Test Results - HELP ME!

(Jason) #1

Hey guys! Thanks for setting up this new forum, since I quit Facebook myself a month ago, this is TERRIFIC because now I have a way to communicate with you all!

Okay, so here is the quick story: I started keto back in Aug 2016… lost a total of 52lbs. Great right? Well - I gained much of it back over the holidays (got overconfident/etc and binged on christmas food). Now I’m back on strict keto for the last 3 weeks.

Just had blood work done last week by my doctor… he said my ALT and AST are higher than usual - normal is below 40 for ALT, last week mine was 83!! He said to retest a week later… well, I retested yesterday, and my ALT has risen even higher and is now at 157! This is alarming! Nothing is different, we have ruled out medications/etc or anything that could cause this. My doctor says it must be the keto diet… :frowning:

So - my question to you - is it possibly that my liver enzymes will increase at the beginning of ketosis as my liver adjusts to fat processing/etc? I don’t want to quit keto - I’ve been able to get off my diabetes meds and am thrilled - but I also want to save my liver and am not sure if this is possible that this is just normal for the beginning of keto and if it will improve in time? Any information is much appreciated!

Jason

Very high AST / ALT / Cholesterol (LDL) after 6 weeks on a ketogenic diet
(Douglas) #2

Have you been taking any over the counter meds or anything? I had a test a few weeks ago and mine were like 283 and 180. My NP grilled me about alcohol use, didn’t seem to believe me when I told her I don’t drink that much. They had me do a hepatitis panel, and the result came back negative, and my AST/ALT were back to normal. I was really sick right after new year, and took a bunch of over the counter meds and antibiotics, which I think were the cause of my test results.
I’m definitely going to recheck in a couple of months to make sure it was just a fluke.
I researched the crap out of this, did not see anything that would suggest a keto diet would contribute to high values. If nothing else I would think it would help…no crappy food, lower insulin and hopefully reducing fat in the liver.
Hope that your values return to normal soon. I know I was freaked out too

(Jason) #3

Thanks for your response Douglas! No, that was one of the things my doctor asked me - and I have not taken ANY over the counter medicines for quite some time… I don’t drink (recovering here, sober 5 yrs now!)…like you, I have researched the crap out of this online as well and cannot find ANYTHING that indicates that keto contributes to this. I did find something that said however, some people when beginning keto have higher than normal liver enzymes due to the liver adjusting to processing all the fat/etc? But still, there has been almost no research or reports of this. My doctor suggested I stop keto and I will not do it at this point. I’m really curious (and anxious) to see what the results are next week when I retest… Thanks for your support! Fingers crossed!

(Roberto) #4

I’ve seen many MANY people with elevated alt & ast after years of eating carbs… Mine have come down slowly as I eliminate carbs-- awaiting bloodwork now… also from reading other’s posts in other diet groups it can take a while for them to come down…

(Patrick Belair) #5

Mine (ALT) came down from 61 to 16 in after 8 months of low carbs.

Back 14 years ago I’ve got very sick while in vacation in South America and the value went over 100 and it took a few months to go down to “normal” level.

(Tom Seest) #6

I’ve had my ALT / AST numbers get that high over the last five years, and then drop back to normal with no explanation.

Also, as someone that has frequent blood draws done, these numbers can change quickly, so unless they are truly out of orbit on a regular basis, I personally wouldn’t be too concerned. You could get those tests run three times in a week, and just look at the numbers yourself. It may make you worry about it less.

I will say that stress can play havok with the numbers in my case. So, when I get mine high; I try to destress. And, it seems to work.

I hope you figure it out.

(Stefani Mathis) #7

Hi Douglas! I have been keto for 3 months and my ALT and AST levels have also risen. I do drink but I don’t think that much? How are you doing? Have your levels come back down?

#8

My thought as well, this likely reflects the diet before 3 weeks ago

(William Craig Jeane) #9

I saw that nothing has been posted on this topic since Sept 2017. I just got my blood work back and I’ve improved drastically:

Blood%20Work%20Compare
Blood Work Compare.JPG422×666 87.5 KB

Although my HDL and Trig are still out of normal range, I’m happy with the direction, especially my Trigs & A1C. But I did see where my Alkaline Phosphatase went low (all my previous test were at the low end but within the normal range) and my ALT went quite a bit higher. I do not drink and I’m not taking any over the counter meds. Looking back to 2015 I only had one case where my ALT was above normal at 57 and on that same test (12/2016) my AST went above normal range at 37. I’d be interested in hearing if there are any podcasts or information that could explain this. I’m not due for another Blood draw for 3 months.

#10

My one (AST, I think) was elevated and my functional medicine doc, who FULLY supports keto and is super knowledgeable, told me that could be the diet and we’ll retest in a few months.
Congrats on the 5 years. I just celebrated 20 myself :slight_smile: So we know it’s not that.
But he wasn’t concerned at all and said starting a new way of eating could do that

(Desiree) #11

Hi, I was on a liquid diet a few years ago,closely supervised by doctors. We had to have biweekly blood tests which included liver enzymes. They said that when you’re in ketosis, and/or losing weight rapidly-more than 2pounds per week, liver enzymes will elevate. Mine did,and after about 2months, they began to lower back down to normal. I was elevated to begin with,they went higher,and after losing about 40 pounds in 4 months, they returned to normal for the first time in years.

(Omar) #12

I know this is an old post but how tg/hdl were calculated to be 1.6

(Jalain Onsgard) #13

Newbie here! This thread makes me feel so much better. Last year when I started keto, my ALT was slightly high. A year later, I took a hiatus for the holidays, then last week I started again and my blood work showed a sky rocket in ALT and AST. I am a social drinker and I refuse to beleieve that’s the root. This thread helps me understand the levels might elevate as I get into ketosis again. Side note-my urine was plus 1 in ketones. Woo hoo. I get another test done in 2 weeks. I was scared I had a big liver problem!!!

(Elizabeth Kay) #14

If anyone is checking this at a later time, hopefully this study will help:

“About a quarter of both groups (obese and severely obese) had elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels at baseline. Mean ALT levels increased within 3-6 weeks of starting the program in nearly all patients. By 16 weeks, however, ALT levels had returned to normal in 98% of the population.”

"Dr. Anderson speculated that liver enzyme levels might go up when people start losing weight because fat moves out of the liver so fast that “it drags some enzymes with it.”

https://www.mdedge.com/endocrinology/article/53013/obesity/liver-enzyme-spike-after-weight-loss-deemed-transient

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #15

Here are my results, starting from when I started keto (July 2018), when I was diagnosed with cancer. I’m thinking the spike around 9/25/18 is more related to having a baby 3 weeks prior.

image
image.png714×545 90 KB

(Bob M) #16

Who knew these moved around so much?

I’d show mine, but while they move around, they are in a more narrow window. (For instance, ALT had a high of 23, low of 10; AST high of 23, low of 13. And, they don’t seem to move together.)