Do I need to stop LCHF

[Atad heavy]

Hello all,
I need some advice please as to whether I should stop this diet, to cut a long story short I ended up in hospital at the weekend. The blood tests showed abnormal liver function with high numbers on ALT & ALP. I have since had a scan which showed my fatty liver improved but I have gallstones. I was asked loads of questions but none about my diet so I didn't volunteer the info (in hindsight probably foolish)
I am now waiting for an MRI & then waiting for another hospital appointment. In the meantime I really need to know if it would be sensible to stop the high fat part of this diet.
I would be very grateful for some expert advice please

 

[Freema]

don't know actually... won´t they help you get rid of the gallstones? I believe it is the high carb diet especially the fructose that creates the fatty liver... so if you keep low carbing and maybe lose weight you might get rid of the fatty parts of your liver.

 

[JohnEGreen]

"Diet and gallstones
In the past, people with gallstones who weren't suitable for surgery were sometimes advised to adopt a very low-fat diet to stop the gallstones growing.
But recent evidence suggests this isn't helpful because rapid weight loss resulting from a very low-fat diet can actually cause gallstones to grow.
This means that if surgery isn't recommended or you want to avoid having an operation, it's advisable to adopt a healthy, balanced diet "

Which of course LCHF is.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gallstones/treatment/

 

[Squire Fulwood]

My only comment is that if you give someone and inch they take a yard. Salt was bad so people cut it from their diet and fell over due to lack of salt. In my personal view the HF message has been similarly misinterpreted. It does not mean that you have to eat excess fat. Just avoid processed foods that claim Low Fat since they have replaced the fat with sugar. Just eat proper food, it has fat in it and that's all you need to do.

 

[Tophat1900]

Here's some info from diet doctor on low carb and gall stones.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/gallstones-and-low-carb

 

[Atad heavy]

don't know actually... won´t they help you get rid of the gallstones? I believe it is the high carb diet especially the fructose that creates the fatty liver... so if you keep low carbing and maybe lose weight you might get rid of the fatty parts of your liver.

Thankyou for your reply, it seems my fatty liver is much improved so I just need to know if high fat intake is wise

 

[Freema]

I myself have been hesitating to eat really high levels of fats, but lately I did it anyways , and have never been eating more saturated fat than now , and guess what my LDL lowered to my surprise and HDL was the same..so no I don´t think the high fat is what is causing the troubles in ones liver... when it comes to gallstones I actually know nothing at all

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Thankyou for your reply, it seems my fatty liver is much improved so I just need to know if high fat intake is wise

If you read the link above, it suggest that eating fat can help flush out gallstones although this is not guaranteed.
This is only one reference, but it seems that fat in the gut encourages the production of bile which flushes out the bile ducts.
So, bearing in mind this is opinion from the Internet, I would think carefully before stopping eating fat.

 

[Resurgam]

Some time ago I came across someone who had been waiting for a gall bladder removal for some time and did Atkins - by the time they were called to have an ultrasound for their operation they had been eating fatty foods for over a year - and they were told - indignantly - that they did not have gallstones at all.

 

[HSSS]

From my experience and lots and lots or reading around the subject

Higher fats may aggravate existing gallstones as the gallbladder is being made to do its job and squeeze bile out and the stones get squeezed too. And that can hurt or possibly get a stone stuck. Or it may be fine. It may flush stones out of the bladder entirely. This is why low fat gets advocated once problematic stones are identified.

It’s likely that low fat eating and not using the gallbladder much contributed to stones in the first place as the bile sits statically as sludge. Historically the same argument that eating fat raises cholesterol has been used to blame stones formation as they tend to be made of cholesterol. Not a lot to support that really and low fat seems more likely in my opinion.

Many many people have stones and have zero symptoms. They don’t usually do anything about it for them. If it is symptomatic then they usually take the whole thing out. There is medication that can break stones up but rarely used as it take months to years to work and if people don’t change what caused it in the first place it just reoccurs/doesn’t work. There’s also a ultrasound method that can blast them apart. That’s not without discomfort and can cause bits of stones to get stuck in ducts so again rarely used.

I had 4 yrs of misdiagnosis, numerous drs appointments and 2 blue light runs to a&e with the pain mine caused. all before T2 diagnosis and lchf. I hated to lose an organ but not having to roll on the floor in agony unable to function is not something I miss. I’ve adapated just fine despite all my fears to the contrary

 

[Atad heavy]

Here's some info from diet doctor on low carb and gall stones.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/gallstones-and-low-carb

Thanks for the link it was very interesting reading

 

[Atad heavy]

I myself have been hesitating to eat really high levels of fats, but lately I did it anyways , and have never been eating more saturated fat than now , and guess what my LDL lowered to my surprise and HDL was the same..so no I don´t think the high fat is what is causing the troubles in ones liver... when it comes to gallstones I actually know nothing at all

My cholesterol is high too & I’m doing my best to avoid being put back on statins

 

[Atad heavy]

If you read the link above, it suggest that eating fat can help flush out gallstones although this is not guaranteed.
This is only one reference, but it seems that fat in the gut encourages the production of bile which flushes out the bile ducts.
So, bearing in mind this is opinion from the Internet, I would think carefully before stopping eating fat.

That is really interesting & I’m wondering if the problem I had is due to the stones being flushed out

 

[Atad heavy]

Some time ago I came across someone who had been waiting for a gall bladder removal for some time and did Atkins - by the time they were called to have an ultrasound for their operation they had been eating fatty foods for over a year - and they were told - indignantly - that they did not have gallstones at all.

That sounds very promising so I won’t change my diet just yet

 

[Rachox]

I had gallstones and eventually gall bladder removal, before I was diagnosed with type 2. I had random attacks of pain completely unrelated to whether I had eaten high or low fat. Post op I didn’t bother keeping fats low, in fact I was eating bacon sandwiches in a pub one day post op! In your position I’d prioritise my diabetes and see how the LCHF diet affected me with regards to the gallstones.

 

[Atad heavy]

From my experience and lots and lots or reading around the subject

Higher fats may aggravate existing gallstones as the gallbladder is being made to do its job and squeeze bile out and the stones get squeezed too. And that can hurt or possibly get a stone stuck. Or it may be fine. It may flush stones out of the bladder entirely. This is why low fat gets advocated once problematic stones are identified.

It’s likely that low fat eating and not using the gallbladder much contributed to stones in the first place as the bile sits statically as sludge. Historically the same argument that eating fat raises cholesterol has been used to blame stones formation as they tend to be made of cholesterol. Not a lot to support that really and low fat seems more likely in my opinion.

Many many people have stones and have zero symptoms. They don’t usually do anything about it for them. If it is symptomatic then they usually take the whole thing out. There is medication that can break stones up but rarely used as it take months to years to work and if people don’t change what caused it in the first place it just reoccurs/doesn’t work. There’s also a ultrasound method that can blast them apart. That’s not without discomfort and can cause bits of stones to get stuck in ducts so again rarely used.

I had 4 yrs of misdiagnosis, numerous drs appointments and 2 blue light runs to a&e with the pain mine caused. all before T2 diagnosis and lchf. I hated to lose an organ but not having to roll on the floor in agony unable to function is not something I miss. I’ve adapated just fine despite all my fears to the contrary

Thankyou for your reply it has helped me a lot. I had pain in my chest & side, I didn’t know if I was having another heart attack or if it was angina. My husband rang for an ambulance. The ecg was fine but they took me in for blood tests. I am now waiting for an MRI which has me worried in case it’s something more sinister.
I would rather keep my gallbladder but if that’s what it takes to have a decent quality of life - then so be it - it goes

 

[Atad heavy]

I had gallstones and eventually gall bladder removal, before I was diagnosed with type 2. I had random attacks of pain completely unrelated to whether I had eaten high or low fat. Post op I didn’t bother keeping fats low, in fact I was eating bacon sandwiches in a pub one day post op! In your position I’d prioritise my diabetes and see how the LCHF diet affected me with regards to the gallstones.

Did you have to have an MRI ? I am definitely going to keep LCHF until the Drs say anything different but they didn’t ask me about my diet - just a zillion other questions

 

[Rachox]

Did you have to have an MRI ? I am definitely going to keep LCHF until the Drs say anything different but they didn’t ask me about my diet - just a zillion other questions

It was a while ago now, 2000 I think. I did have a scan but I think just ultrasound. I did definitely have an MRI some years later as I was mysteriously getting the same pain and they discovered on the MRI a stray stone in my biliary duct, was it left from the original op or did I grow a new one? We’ll never know!

 

[Atad heavy]

It was a while ago now, 2000 I think. I did have a scan but I think just ultrasound. I did definitely have an MRI some years later as I was mysteriously getting the same pain and they discovered on the MRI a stray stone in my biliary duct, was it left from the original op or did I grow a new one? We’ll never know!

I had an ultrasound & should have MRI in the next couple of weeks. Perhaps they are looking for stray stones in my plumbing

 

[HSSS]

I only had ultrasound. The painful episodes and a bladder “full of stones at least one the size of a golf ball” was enough for the removal plan.

It seems crazy they can’t remove gallstones the same way they do kidney stones without removing the organ but that’s what we have presently as the option. I assume there’s a valid reason within the confines of current medical practice that I’m not aware of, or at least I hope so.