Liver Disease and LCHF
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JessicaLCHF
Posts: 1,265 Member
Husband just got diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver due to fatty liver (he doesn't drink). I have lost about forty pounds on keto/LCHF diet, but he's only lost ten. He cheats every day at lunch at work. Anyway, he's now gung ho for doing this with me but is there any concerns with him having a fatty liver? He also has a large kidney stone they have to blast. Thoughts? He needs to lose about sixty pounds.
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I'm sorry to hear that.
Does he have any autoimmune issues? Some AI diseases, like celiac disease, can cause fatty liver... I don't know much beyond that though.
Best wishes to you both.0 -
No, and everything I'm reading says fat and thin ppl can get it, but it is associated with obesity and diabetes. He's not diabetic, his sugars are always great (I'm jealous of them), but he is about sixty pounds overweight.0
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Hopefully he will be seeing the doc from time to time.
I expect I had a fatty liver. Keto requires the liver to break down fats into ketones the best I remember. I went 6 weeks eating keto before I lost the first pound. I think maybe my liver was healing some before the weight loss could start perhaps. I was 75 pounds overweight at the get go.
Wish him much success.0 -
I have a fatty liver as well.
My dad died in 1992 due to complications from non alcoholic liver disease / cirrhosis - his was caused by undiagnosed hepatitis and then diabetes complicated matters. I was shocked when my GI doctor in passing said, you know you have a fatty liver right ? Uh no … you never told me. The only thing he told me to do was to lose weight, eat a healthy diet - no guidance as to what that is and come in yearly for an ultrasound to monitor it.
Put on my google MD hat - LOL and came across these articles, which is what lead me to the LCHF or Keto way of eating.
http://glutenfreeworks.com/blog/2007/11/16/non-alcoholic-fatty-liver-disease-and-gluten/
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/cirrhosis.html#.VdVk_UvenwI
I first was doing paleo, but wasn't losing weight, then found keto. I've been following this WOE for 8 weeks now, and just had some labs done and both my ALT and AST levels (liver health indicators) were decreased from the labs right before I stated LCHF. I am looking forward to having this years ultrasound done so I can see if there is actually any improvement outside of the blood labs.
Aside from the diet, I also take Milk Thistle supplements. There are some studies that say it helps the liver as well as may have an effect on sugar levels.
Of course there are varying opinions on what diet to follow, so you'll need to read and research as much as you can and then make an informed decision of what path to take from there.
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Thanks, yes lots of docs. Liver and kidney specialists. I did find this http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24115747/ study that shows amazing results with low carb (liver reduction in six days vs seven months with low fat diet!!!)
Thanks for the links. This is what I need to convince him. He's worried low carb will hurt his kidneys or liver more than help, but he's willing to try it and stick to it.0 -
Ps def picking up milk thistle for both he and me.0
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Before my bariatric surgery, I had a very fatty liver. In the year since the original test, I've lost 100lbs and 2/3 of my liver weight. Low carb and losing weight will help with that immensely.0
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Check out anti inflammatory ratings of food
Kale is a great anti inflammatory
I dealt with fatty liver for a while
It did go away.
It wasn't a severe case though
I was 135 lbs heavier than now though.0 -
One of the primary causes of NAFLD is a high level of sugar, particularly fructose, in the diet (contrary to the popular belief that fat causes it, it doesn't). Fructose can't be used directly by the body, so it gets shuttled off to the liver to be turned into fats (triglycerides). As I understand it, these fats, when not used, get preferentially stored around the liver and eventually around the other organs. While you (general) may think you're not consuming a lot of fructose, remember that in the US, fructose is, in one form or another, in everything that...well...isn't meat (since even fruits and vegetables have some level of natural fructose in them, though if we were consuming a whole foods diet from the beginning, the amount in fruits and vegetables isn't an issue, but when that's on top of every other food in existence...it adds up).
Your husband's blood glucose may be "normal" right now, but that doesn't mean he's not on the road to diabetes already. The fatty liver suggests otherwise, in fact. It wouldn't surprise me if they were to test his insulin levels that they'd come up elevated, same for his A1C.
LCHF/keto will actually help heal his fatty liver, not harm it. Odds are pretty good, though, that while it heals, he won't lose much, if any weight. So make sure he doesn't get discouraged by the lack of "progress" on the scale. If he's struggling with LCHF, zero carb is available and is easier for some people (and since it does get rid of all sources of fructose and sugar, even natural ones, it might help speed his healing).
The kidney stone's too far gone at this point, he's probably better off getting it blasted, but as long as he drinks enough water, it shouldn't be an issue going into the future unless he's got an as-yet-undiagnosed kidney issue (though, again, kidney issues are often caused by diabetes issues, so any issues he has now may very well heal going LCHF).0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »One of the primary causes of NAFLD is a high level of sugar, particularly fructose, in the diet (contrary to the popular belief that fat causes it, it doesn't). Fructose can't be used directly by the body, so it gets shuttled off to the liver to be turned into fats (triglycerides). As I understand it, these fats, when not used, get preferentially stored around the liver and eventually around the other organs. While you (general) may think you're not consuming a lot of fructose, remember that in the US, fructose is, in one form or another, in everything that...well...isn't meat (since even fruits and vegetables have some level of natural fructose in them, though if we were consuming a whole foods diet from the beginning, the amount in fruits and vegetables isn't an issue, but when that's on top of every other food in existence...it adds up).
Your husband's blood glucose may be "normal" right now, but that doesn't mean he's not on the road to diabetes already. The fatty liver suggests otherwise, in fact. It wouldn't surprise me if they were to test his insulin levels that they'd come up elevated, same for his A1C.
LCHF/keto will actually help heal his fatty liver, not harm it. Odds are pretty good, though, that while it heals, he won't lose much, if any weight. So make sure he doesn't get discouraged by the lack of "progress" on the scale. If he's struggling with LCHF, zero carb is available and is easier for some people (and since it does get rid of all sources of fructose and sugar, even natural ones, it might help speed his healing).
The kidney stone's too far gone at this point, he's probably better off getting it blasted, but as long as he drinks enough water, it shouldn't be an issue going into the future unless he's got an as-yet-undiagnosed kidney issue (though, again, kidney issues are often caused by diabetes issues, so any issues he has now may very well heal going LCHF).
Thanks, soda is his weakness. He often had one at lunch I know and he hates diet soda. Because of the kidney stone he's off unsweet tea now too, so it's water for him. Good advice here, I'm fwding to him.0 -
My husband was diagnosed with diabetes after having kidney stones. Although they occur in lots of people, they are often associated with diabetes or pre-diabetes.
phlaunt.com/diabetes might help. Higher Blood Sugars are often not diagnosed early.
Good luck.0 -
My hubby was also diagnosed with fatty liver two months ago. Dr. told him he needed to go low carb and 1600 cals or lower. He's lost 57 lbs so far but he hasn't gotten checked out again so I can't tell you if it's gotten better or not. He didn't have any trouble losing. 57 lbs in 2 months is way too fast for me. He had over 100 to lose, but still, just seems super fast. I think it's slowing down now though. Of course, he weighs sporadically so it may be up or may be down more. /shrugs
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That is amazing @chaoticdreams! How encouraging! He just posted he's lost 12 pounds, not ten like I thought. Prolly from being sick for two weeks. He had unexplained fever, blood in urine and elevated liver enzymes which they thot was MRV or hepetitis or mono but all came back negative. It's wasn't til they ultra sounded all his organs till they found this. And weird but no kidney pain! Just fever and extreme fatigue.0
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Doesn't it drive you crazy how much faster men lose when they try!
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Dragonwolf wrote: »
Your husband's blood glucose may be "normal" right now, but that doesn't mean he's not on the road to diabetes already. The fatty liver suggests otherwise, in fact. It wouldn't surprise me if they were to test his insulin levels that they'd come up elevated, same for his A1C.
So true.
I have something along the lines of reactive hypoglycemia (although it wasn't given a stamp of approval by a doctor. That can lower AIC readings a bit. I don't think the A1C works great for all people, because the ups and down BG levels that are unhealthy may not be reflected in some. For most, the A1C is a good test.
I'm prediabetic, and I had a glucose tolerance test done a year ago. My FBG started at about a 6.1, shot up to a 9.8 (I think it was) at the 30 minute mark, and then dropped and dropped. At the two hour point my BG was at a 4 and still dropping every 15 minutes. My A1C was an "okay" 5.6 at the time, but my blood levels were wonky.
@JessicaLCHF Do you have a blood glucose monitor? If so, taking a BUNCH of readings one day can help him get a better idea if he does have any blood glucose issues. My A1C was normal-ish, and my BG an hour or two after eating is usually normal (unless I had a tonne of sugars and carbs), but my FBG and BG 30 minutes after eating tell a different story.
Hopefully he has no problems at all with BG.
I've heard good things about milk thistle too!0 -
I do have a meter and he's used it several times but his BS is always good.
Been hearing good things about that (milk thistle), hibiscus tea and turmeric.0 -
My husband was diagnosed with a fatty liver earlier this year, so I worried that I had one too. I found Dr. Jason Fung's explanations and found that the fatty liver is a precursor to full blown diabetes. According to him, once the liver has "filled," the pancreas starts getting "clogged" next. The IF program helps to reduce the fatty deposits in the liver. One of the major "ingredients" to avoid is fructose, which is, of course, a large part of sucrose, so avoiding all sugar is one of the first habits to establish. Then reducing all carbohydrates will help reduce IR and repair the pancreas.
I got my husband to eat LCHF and to fast occasionally. He has lost some weight, but I have yet to receive his latest bloodwork, so I don't know his trigs (which is also related to fatty liver and sugar consumption).0 -
JessicaLCHF wrote: »Doesn't it drive you crazy how much faster men lose when they try!
Man, does it ever. But he's getting sexier, so win win? LOL0 -
chaoticdreams wrote: »JessicaLCHF wrote: »Doesn't it drive you crazy how much faster men lose when they try!
Man, does it ever. But he's getting sexier, so win win? LOL
Lulz...0 -
chaoticdreams wrote: »JessicaLCHF wrote: »Doesn't it drive you crazy how much faster men lose when they try!
Man, does it ever. But he's getting sexier, so win win? LOL
My gf says that
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My hubby and I have both had calcium oxalate kidney stones in the past. We have cut high-oxalate foods out of our diet and no reoccurrences since. No spinach, soy products, beets, sweet potatoes, chard. There are lots of online resources listing high-ox foods. If this type of stone is what your hubby has you may want to check out the lists.0
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