L C H F and Gallbladder

[Indy51]

Dr Paul Mason answers a question on this subject during the Q&A session of the Low Carb Downunder Sydney Uni event. Hopefully the video will start at the point of the question:

The whole Q&A is worth listening to but thought I would post this as it is a question that comes up fairly regularly on the forum.

Edited to add - the cue doesn't seem to work, so if you want to listen to that part of the talk, it starts at around 20:43 mins.

 

[Guzzler]

Cheers Indy. On a personal level, it is useful for me to hear (repeatedly) that protein is not going to harm my kidney function. Dr. Mason at the end talks of craving/hunger and my ol' Mum's saying came to mind,

If you can't decide what to eat then you're not hungry, if you're not hungry then don't eat.

 

[ickihun]

Kidney problems don't like excessive proteins but healthy kidneys do their job, just the same.
Scaremongering or only knowing half the info has caused this misunderstanding.

I was told losing weight too fast caused blockages/stones.

 

[HSSS]

I thought fast loss stones was often because it was low fat being used! Or if it’s high fat it’s because you are finally stirring up pre existing stones when the lazy gallbladder is made to squeeze.

I only had mine removed last September despite asking to try disolving them and changing eating habits. Was categorically told it wouldn’t work and scared into it with talk of pancreatitis and disease spreading to nearby organs. Can’t believe waiting less than a year could have given more confidence to wait and try it. Shocking how even in the non profit nhs cut it out, regardless of motivation on the patients part, is the goto option.

 

[Guzzler]

I thought fast loss stones was often because it was low fat being used! Or if it’s high fat it’s because you are finally stirring up pre existing stones when the lazy gallbladder is made to squeeze.

I only had mine removed last September despite asking to try disolving them and changing eating habits. Was categorically told it wouldn’t work and scared into it with talk of pancreatitis and disease spreading to nearby organs. Can’t believe waiting less than a year could have given more confidence to wait and try it. Shocking how even in the non profit nhs cut it out, regardless of motivation on the patients part, is the goto option.

I couldn't swear as to who it was that said it but someone once mentioned that some people having had their gall bladder removed develope a 'widening' of one of the branch ducts to accomodate a small reservoir, they said that the body did this on its own. Worth looking into?

 

[HSSS]

I’ve definitely heard that too. No way of knowing if I’ve done or am doing that though.

That said I’m pain free and am managing as much fat as I want on lchf. (Having built it gradually). A few issue for the first 6 months have thankfully resolved. Only downside is ldl and trigs both shot up after the op. Hoping this woe will sort that. (Uncertain if it’s even a real concern).

 

[Guzzler]

I’ve definitely heard that too. No way of knowing if I’ve done or am doing that though.

That said I’m pain free and am managing as much fat as I want on lchf. (Having built it gradually). A few issue for the first 6 months have thankfully resolved. Only downside is ldl and trigs both shot up after the op. Hoping this woe will sort that. (Uncertain if it’s even a real concern).

Having the procedure done will have skewed your lipid levels and if you are losing weight (whether it is planned/needed or not) will also temporarily mess with your numbers.

 

[HSSS]

Having the procedure done will have skewed your lipid levels and if you are losing weight (whether it is planned/needed or not) will also temporarily mess with your numbers.

Can you direct me to any literature/discussion on the procedure itself affecting figures? I can find nothing and my gp claimed never to have heard of numbers changing post op! I’m hoping losing weight ultimately drops the numbers again. They weren’t great before op.

 

[ickihun]

I thought fast loss stones was often because it was low fat being used! Or if it’s high fat it’s because you are finally stirring up pre existing stones when the lazy gallbladder is made to squeeze.

I only had mine removed last September despite asking to try disolving them and changing eating habits. Was categorically told it wouldn’t work and scared into it with talk of pancreatitis and disease spreading to nearby organs. Can’t believe waiting less than a year could have given more confidence to wait and try it. Shocking how even in the non profit nhs cut it out, regardless of motivation on the patients part, is the goto option.

Stones are made due to congealed enzymes which flow throw the ducts, back and forth. I guess lazy enzymes or too much. The process gets burdened on when a fast change of diet and balances. Fat doesn't really come into it but old papers tried to afix fat as the problem.

 

[Guzzler]

Can you direct me to any literature/discussion on the procedure itself affecting figures? I can find nothing and my gp claimed never to have heard of numbers changing post op! I’m hoping losing weight ultimately drops the numbers again. They weren’t great before op.

Sorry no, I can't. As cholesterol is involved in the building, repair and maintenance of cells and also with the immunological responses that the body initiates after damage or infection then it seems logical that this is one response that the body would have but where I learned this I couldn't say.
Losing excess weight definitely can improve lipid values (depending on how far you go to adjust your diet and what ways you employ to lose the weight) but as I said earlier some people's values can be skewed temporarily because even adipose tissue has a tiny reservoir of cholesterol which can be 'lost' as the fat cells shrink. My total cholesterol rocketed when I was actively losing weight and I got the obligatory statin lecture but it didn't take long for the values to settle afterwards. Some people see very little change in lipid panel results when losing weight so it may not happen to you but it is worth knowing if you wish to avoid taking a statin (for whatever reason).

 

[HSSS]

Stones are made due to congealed enzymes which flow throw the ducts, back and forth. I guess lazy enzymes or too much. The process gets burdened on when a fast change of diet and balances. Fat doesn't really come into it but old papers tried to afix fat as the problem.

And they congeal if the gallbladder has little demand made on it due to low fat diets, as stated in the video

 

[HSSS]

Sorry no, I can't. As cholesterol is involved in the building, repair and maintenance of cells and also with the immunological responses that the body initiates after damage or infection then it seems logical that this is one response that the body would have but where I learned this I couldn't say.
Losing excess weight definitely can improve lipid values (depending on how far you go to adjust your diet and what ways you employ to lose the weight) but as I said earlier some people's values can be skewed temporarily because even adipose tissue has a tiny reservoir of cholesterol which can be 'lost' as the fat cells shrink. My total cholesterol rocketed when I was actively losing weight and I got the obligatory statin lecture but it didn't take long for the values to settle afterwards. Some people see very little change in lipid panel results when losing weight so it may not happen to you but it is worth knowing if you wish to avoid taking a statin (for whatever reason).

It does indeed make sense. And between the pre op values and post op there was in fact 5 surgeries in 18 months all separate issues so a lot of healing to be done.

 

[Resurgam]

I have known someone who had to wait to have a gall bladder operation done and when finally called in was told that they did not have any - had to protest and told them to check their records when accused of wasting their time.
A low carb diet for a year seemed to do the trick. It was painful at times, they said, but only briefly.