A month ago I had a liver profile drawn. My ALT was 136 and my AST was 110. I was taken off of Zocor for three weeks and had the liver test repeated. My ALT did not change(136) and my AST went down 10 points to 100. Should I be alarmed at this. I am not experiencing any abnormal pains. I am also doing the Atkins diet which means I am always in a state of Ketosis.
I'm assuming you're under the care of a doctor and they are ruling out things like alcoholism, hepatitis, fatty liver?? They have other tests that can determine why the enzymes are elevated. If it is due to a medicine, I would imagine the levels should go back down after a few months unless damage occurred. Your liver is not something to mess with and I wouldn't let this rest until you find out why your LFTs are elevated. Most people with some liver diseases don't feel pain, ie nonalcoholic steatohepatitis like I have. Sometimes people even get to the point of cirrhosis before having any symptoms. I do know however, that my nutritionist said NOT to do atkins with liver probs, that ketosis was NOT good for the liver. So what you do is up to you-
Laura
I had a complete ultrasound of my entire abdomen today to see if there was any liver damage. I do drink a moderate amount of alcohol so I was terrified of the results. Got a call from my doctor this afternoon and the results were fine. There is nothing abnormal about my liver other then a little fat buildup normal for my age - 47. The technician also remarked about how smooth the liver was for my age. They also checked the spleen, kidneys, pancreas, and gall bladder. Now we need to continue the search for source of the high enzymes. I guess it is probably the alcohol.
[This message has been edited by paborn (edited 10-08-2003).]
Hi, I am always learning something new on this board! You guys mentioned ketosis, and I was wondering what that was. I have a fatty liver, and I was considering the Atkins diet to loose weight, and this is the first time I've thought of the connection to the liver. So, it's bad to eat too much meat, and not enough carbs for the liver? I had elevated liver enzymes, and after several tests, it was assumed that my problem was fatty liver, since I had an ultrasound that showed fatty infiltration of the liver. Since then, though, I had a blood test done and my liver enzymes went back down to normal. Do you think this means that the fatty liver is getting better, or do they just vary sometimes. It was a big difference, though, mine were up in the 80's or so, and now they are back down to the normal range, and even lower than that. I have been also taking vitamin E each day, do you think that could have helped? Since my enzymes are lower, it's like I'm feeling like I have no problem now, and starting some bad habits again. I had quite a few drinks the other night, do you think that's ok with a fatty liver if you do it only occasionally? Thanks for any advice!! Thanks, Val
I am on the Atkins diet and my doctor endorses it. She would really like for me to quit using alcohol though as she suspects that is the culprit for the elevated enzymes.
[This message has been edited by paborn (edited 10-09-2003).]
I would not do Atkins with elevated liver enzymes. The healthier version of Atkins is the South Beach diet. The high fat is hard on the liver, but the SBD uses the same concept, but the healthier fats/carbs.
I NEARLY DIED ON ATKINS...and I have elevated enzymes.
I wouldn't go on the Atkins diet either with elevated liver enzymes. In fact, my bloodwork came out fine right before I started Atkins. Now not only are my AST and ALT levels high (52, 161), my cholesterol has gone up 50 pts as well.
My doctor has ordered me off the Atkins diet and told me to stick to a lowfat diet. Once my levels normalize, I will approach the South Beach Diet with her.
I realize that different diets work differently with different people ... Atkins just didn't work for me.
Ditto. Atkins most likely drove up my liver enzymes. Also, a friend of mine was on Atkins and his liver enzymes went way up including his triglycerides. He followed up with a nutritionist and she said NO Atkins, esp. if your body reacts this way. SOme people just can't take all the fat and protein.
Ditto. Atkins most likely drove up my liver enzymes. Also, a friend of mine was on Atkins and his liver enzymes went way up including his triglycerides. He followed up with a nutritionist and she said NO Atkins, esp. if your body reacts this way. SOme people just can't take all the fat and protein.
There is absolutely no scientific that low carb eating, such as the Atkins diet raises liver enzymes. After one year on Atkins, my triglicerides and cholesterol are at a ten year low. I attribute the high liver enzymes to alcohol consumption that I have stopped.
Yes, but there is no research contrary to your argument stating that Atkins DOESN'T raise liver enzymes. Your triglycerides are at an all-time low but my friends were off the map after being on Atkins for 3 months. Also his liver enzymes were elevated. He stopped and his blood chemistry went back to normal. ALso, I don't drink, started Atkins, and my liver enzymes went up. I think it's fair to say that peoples' bodies respond differently to high protein diets and it's not a one-size-fits all model.
AST / ALT mildly elevated 
