Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I got a physical w/ some blood work done last month for an upcoming fight. Some numbers came up slightly off the Reference range provided within the labs. In which she said wasn't much to worry about since I'm an athlete (ex, RHR 51/min ,HDL 88, Glucose 75). She also noted that my liver enzymes where near to double the reference range.

AST 65 RR (11-36)

ALT 82 RR (22-61)

The doctor recommended I get more blood work & an ultra sound of my liver. She also asked me if I take steroids,body building supplements or drink beer excessively. No to steroids & only drink beer on weekends if I don't have a fight lined up. I do however cycle sport supplements depending on fight schedule (4-8 weeks on 2-8weeks off- Caffeine,BCAA,Beta alanine, cissus quadrangularis & Citrulin Malate).

The day of my physical

On the day of my physical I trained in the morning in somewhat of a fasted state(5g BCAA w/1cup black coffee & about a liter or more of water) training was 1 hour of hard sparring. My physical was 3hours after training. What is the current Paleo Hackers thoughts on liver enzyme AST/ALT? Also what about HDL? Now, from my current reading/researching I'm aware that exercise can elevate AST/ALT. Which I think morning training contributed to my labs. Does fructose elevate liver enzyme? Since I'm pretty high carb because of my sport(Thai Boxing), I'm assuming the fructose from fruits & honey contribute to these numbers as well. Can you recommend some paleo starches low in fructose? I do good with yams,sweet potatoes & white rice but bloat up & get gassy from white potatoes.

Diet

I been Paleo with a weekly "open meal" for roughly 4 years. When training for fights I stick to 16-20hr fast w/ water. Typical fight prep eating template-

2hours pre workout- 1cup white rice

1hour pre workout- 200mg caffeine, 6-8g cit malate & 3g beta alanine

15min pre workout- 10g BCAA

1hour intra workout- 2tbsp raw honey w/5g BCAA (this follows every hour. training is usually 2-3hrslong).

1st Post workout- 2-3 bananas for the commute home

2nd Post workout- 3g beta alanine, fist full of salad greens, 1-1.5lbs lamb or beef & 1-2lbs yams.

edited Oct 22 at 0:50

asked Oct 21 at 4:41

Acumen Athletics
1,686●1●2●9

eric · Answer 1 · 2012-10-22 03:50:33Z UTC

For me the question about your liver enzymes (or mine, or anybody's) is "In which direction are they moving?" Do you have any previous results to compare them with?

Mine were in very normal range with a diet based on organic whole grains, then on going Paleo they went up about 50% or more for a year or so. Now they are back to a nice normal range.

Sataran · Answer 2 · 2012-11-19 05:58:57Z UTC

Those liver enzymes numbers are pretty high, not marginally high, for someone in shape. If you're in shape and was in shape before, it's probably not due to fatty liver. Also, probably not alcohol related. So not related to fructose.

I'd get it checked out, starting with a hepatitis panel. Some of the supplements may increase your liver enzymes but not into the 80s, I don't think, and I'm not familiar with some of them. I'd also check muscle injury or myositis and check creatine kinase, which your doc probably already did. If you're hepatitis clear, the next step is an ultrasound.

joanna · Answer 3 · 2012-10-22 01:05:32Z UTC

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geez, i wish i had an answer for you. my AST/ALT are consistently high but that's because i'm on low dose chemotherapy drugs. those things mess up your liver fast. my doctor did an MRCP on me and it showed that i don't have any liver damage... yet.

answered Oct 22 at 1:05

joanna
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	Was this an MRCP with contrast, where they inject you with dye? How did you feel afterwards? Your kidneys are ok, I presume? – Mambo Nov 5 at 15:38
	yeah, this is the test and i felt fine. he said everything looked great actually and my kidneys are awesome. my creatinine numbers are really good. – joanna Nov 5 at 19:05

Faye · Answer 4 · 2012-12-07 23:35:28Z UTC

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ALT is very specific to the liver and when you are on a low calorie, low carb diet your liver has to work harder to rid your body of fats. You might ask your doctor about this.

answered Dec 7 at 23:35

Faye
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lindsey · Answer 5 · 2012-12-12 23:44:08Z UTC

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Weight lifting can elevate AST and ALT. You need to get a reading NOT after lifting for it to be accurate!

answered Dec 12 at 23:44

lindsey
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educate me on Liver enzyme AST/ALT.

5 Answers