• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Low-carb related problems in long term ?

the-noob

the-noob

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello,

You know how it is with internet today... search for "aliens on the moon" and you'll find "undeniable evidence".
I've seen some concerns about the effects of a long term low-carb diet like kidney (from protein) and liver (from fats) and would like to hear from the long term LC/ LCHF members if any had any issues?
 
the-noob said:
and would like to hear from the long term LC/ LCHF members if any had any issues?
Click to expand...
I think @AndBreathe and @lovinglife are over a decade in.
the-noob said:
kidney (from protein)
Click to expand...
As far as I understand, protein can be an issue with existing kidney disease, not with healthy kidneys.
the-noob said:
and liver (from fats)
Click to expand...
Many of us, including myself, have found our lipids have normalised after changing diet to LCHF and improving blood glucose (in my case with the help of insulin, being a T1, so I have no idea if it's the improved BG or the diet changes which normalised my lipids).

Tagging @JoKalsbeek who got rid of advanced NAFLD by adopting a LCHF diet.
 
Thanks, @Antje77 .

@the-noob - I'm 10 years into a low carb lifestyle, with excellent, non-diabetic level HbA1cs. My kidney health is good - CKD graded at "0" within the last couple of weeks, and never anything else in that 10 years.

As for liver health, I take a medication for another condition, that is very harsh on the liver, so have liver function tests regularly - initially monthly, then after about 6 months 3 monthly, and it'll remain at those intervals as long as my liver is showing zero distress. (Intervals will shorten if I do show challenges, or the medication will have to stop).

Thus far, over 2 years into that, on top of my LC lifestyle, my liver is in great condition. This was tested in my recent blood work, a couple of weeks ago, prior to an Endo appointment.

Whilst I see my Endo for my thyroid challenges, he actually takes a fairly holistic approach, so every now and then does a blanket blood screening, DEXA scan, ECG and so on. My latest ECG done on Wednesday was all clear and absolutely fine.

So far, so good for me, living a reduced carb lifestyle.

Many of those diagnosed with T2 are also diagnosed, at the same time with raised lipids and non-alcoholic liver disease. For many, those additional issues reduce or resolve once their diabetes is in better order. Whilst there are black swan events - good and bad - for all medical conditions, I am very confident I am no black swan where my diabetes is concerned.

When it comes to it, we all have to decide on an approach, live it, monitor it, and if we find it isn't working for us, tweak it, or change direction. Few things in life are black and white, but for myself, I am confident I'm doing just fine with my current strategy.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
 
Last edited:
the-noob said:
Hello,

You know how it is with internet today... search for "aliens on the moon" and you'll find "undeniable evidence".
I've seen some concerns about the effects of a long term low-carb diet like kidney (from protein) and liver (from fats) and would like to hear from the long term LC/ LCHF members if any had any issues?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure if seven years counts as long term, but yeah... My liver was about to kick the bucket when I was diagnosed with diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Was told there was nothing to be done save for palliative care when the time came. But I went low carb, the fat melted off my liver due to that, and my liver function has been perfectly normal ever since. (Not to mention it not being sore, enlarged and rock-hard anymore!) As T2's, we don't burn off carbs and thus glucose, as we should. And the body has to put it somewhere, if we put it in. Practically the first port of call is to store it in the fat cells in the liver. So that's why low carbing helped in that respect. I was on a very low fat diet when my liver turned so fatty it was going to kill me. It was the carbs that almost did me in.

As for kidneys, I can't say mine are fine, as I'd be lying. They work perfectly, no issues there, but I am prone to kidney stones. As it turns out, I'm one of the lucky few who is rather gout-y by nature, and I make ureum stones if I eat too much animal protein, in my kidneys and in my joints. (Fine on poultry and pork, not so fine on a nice steak, alas). That's me though with a very specific hereditary problem. Many, many people have no issues at all. You can load up on protein all you want without your kidneys being affected, unless, and that's a big unless, you already are experiencing kidney failure. Then a lot of protein can make the kidneys struggle. But if they're all good at this point, low carbing is likely to actually give them a bit of a break. If your blood sugars are high all the time, the kidneys have to work really hard to help you rid yourself of as much of the glucose they can. But it does harm the organs to be flooded with glucose all the time, kindof like it sanding away on your insides, you know? Bring that down, give the kidneys less to process, and hopefully avoid diabetic kidney damage all together. Low carb can achieve that. There are medications that make your kidneys work harder to process sugar out of your body, but that's forcing an already overtaxed set of organs to do even more than they can handle... Low carb made more sense.

I like the way you think, by the way. Yes, the internet is always full of "undisputable" evidence. So we might have some annecdotal stuff for you, but it's about you and your body, not mine or anyone else's. So.... If possible, get tested for kidney and liver function on top of HbA1c, so you know where you're starting from if you haven't already, and just, you know... Try a diet, stick with it for three months and ask for a re-test. If anything changes for better or worse, it'll show by then, and you'll know whether you're on the right track. I'm all for finger prick testing glucose, so you can see what foods agree with you and which don't, but that's a bit not do-able with kidney and liver function tests, so hence the suggestion.

Good luck making a choice going forward!
Jo
 
Four years next month on ~20g/day - a novice compared to those above. I've noticed exactly no ill effects. I'm in ketosis most of the time.

On the plus side, my blood glucose is stable and low, I've lost about 30kg, all the painful/annoying symptoms have gone, I'm able to exercise again, life is good. Instead of regular visits to the GP with yet another symptom (as was the case until late 2019) the only reason I ever go to the practice now is for my annual T2 checkup. Where everything is OK, except they tell me my cholesterol is high - but it was higher in the 1990s. All depends on whether I'm tested fasting or not.
 
Thanks for the tag @Antje77

I’m 14 years low carb the last 6 keto and still on no meds, in fact when I started I was on insulin for a very short time then max Gliclizide & Metformin and statins. Got myself off them with low carb etc and help from GP.

All my markers are good - my liver count has always been slightly high but I’ve had numerous scans no fatty liver, GP said sometimes that’s just natural for some people, and actually on last test almost 12 months ago they dropped right down to 40 something.

I have slightly leaky kidneys but have had that from the very start before LC but they are stable and have never gotten worse. Lost massive amount of weight, I have other issues like psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, diverticular disease and all these have improved immensely on LC & Keto. I’m just healthier all round
 
I'm also interested to hear about any studies or research into this, as my GP now promotes paleo instead of low carb because she no longer believes LC is the best option for the long term.
 
It's seems crazy that in 2023 we don't have a wealth of definitive science on all aspects of nutrition. But that's the case. And means there's room for diet gurus and quacks to fill the cracks.

Just bear in mind there's a wide difference in what people could eat and still call it a low carb diet. You could easily imagine an incredibly unhealthy one.

I'd bet most of the low carb diets people eat on this forum are far, far healthier long term than the standard ultra processed 'western' diet.
 
ErinT said:
I'm also interested to hear about any studies or research into this, as my GP now promotes paleo instead of low carb because she no longer believes LC is the best option for the long term.
Click to expand...

Erin, did your GP expand upon her misgivings about low carb?

I'm 10 years in, without any medical conditions that could be attributed to my LC lifestyle.
 
Hi @ErinT and welcome to the forum.

Dr David Unwin (a UK GP in Southport @Lowcarb GP on Twitter) has done several studies into Low Carb based upon his T2 and pre-diabetic patients (half of whom are no longer T2 or pre-diabetic as a result of Low carb). His latest study covers some patients after 5yrs on Low Carb.

No counter indications.
Benefits: Lower Blood glucose, weight loss, normalised Blood Pressure, improved Kidney function, improved mood - but this is probably because of the other medical benefits.
Edited to add reversal of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease as an additional benefit.
 
Last edited:
the-noob said:
Hello,

You know how it is with internet today... search for "aliens on the moon" and you'll find "undeniable evidence".
I've seen some concerns about the effects of a long term low-carb diet like kidney (from protein) and liver (from fats) and would like to hear from the long term LC/ LCHF members if any had any issues?
Click to expand...
I am of a *slightly* alternative view to most here, Noob.

I have been low carb for most of 25 years. No issues at all, except that thanks to Long COVID, it stopped working. I have made several forays into keto to try to wrench my blood sugar back under control when COVID kicked me in the endocrine system. In each case after 3 or 3.5 months, keto started to impair my thyroid function. When I have gone back to LC, my thyroid function has recovered.

That's me. I had hypothyroid for many years before I developed diabetes, and it's non-typical hypothyroid. (I make (almost) enough T4, but can't convert it to the active forms of the thyroid hormone without assistance. ) And low carb never caused me any problem, so this is less a "keto problem" and more a "be aware that this can happen in some cases" problem, but it does seem worth sharing.
 
While I'm no expert on LCHF diet, I can tell you that it may not work for everyone. Based on what I have seen from friends who have tried this diet regime, its effects/sid-effects can vary greatly from one individual to another.
 
I do wish more studies or anecdotes about health on low or very low carb diets were more explicit about the specific fat sources and fiber intake.

I know there are some keto enthusiasts eating large amounts of saturated fats like butter, coconut oil, fried bacon, ribeye etc, and quite low vegetable/fiber,

and on the other end there are some eating equally low carb and high fat, but with mostly PUFA and MUFA sources like olive oil, nuts, avocado, fish, and lots of non starchy vegetables.
 
Westley said:
I do wish more studies or anecdotes about health on low or very low carb diets were more explicit about the specific fat sources and fiber intake.

I know there are some keto enthusiasts eating large amounts of saturated fats like butter, coconut oil, fried bacon, ribeye etc, and quite low vegetable/fiber,

and on the other end there are some eating equally low carb and high fat, but with mostly PUFA and MUFA sources like olive oil, nuts, avocado, fish, and lots of non starchy vegetables.
Click to expand...
I don’t eat loads of fat, I like to think of my keto as Low Carb Healthy Fats. So I don’t remove natural fats from meat etc I have normal amounts of butter, oils like avocado, EVOO, nut oils in dressings or for cooking, blobs of mayo so basically I eat normal levels of fat. I don’t eat a lot of dairy as it messes with my weight. I eat lots of above ground low carb veggies and lots of protein.
 
Westley said:
I do wish more studies or anecdotes about health on low or very low carb diets were more explicit about the specific fat sources and fiber intake.

I know there are some keto enthusiasts eating large amounts of saturated fats like butter, coconut oil, fried bacon, ribeye etc, and quite low vegetable/fiber,

and on the other end there are some eating equally low carb and high fat, but with mostly PUFA and MUFA sources like olive oil, nuts, avocado, fish, and lots of non starchy vegetables.
Click to expand...
LOL - You could say that I eat the latter with grilled bacon, pork belly, steak, chicken (including skin), cheese (not much butter because we stir-fry with coconut oil).
 
Link below contains further links to a number of studies on low carb diets

Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) – Public Health Collaboration

phcuk.org phcuk.org

Link to David Unwin's 2019 paper

Substantial and Sustained Improvements in Blood Pressure, Weight and Lipid Profiles from a Carbohydrate Restricted Diet: An Observational Study of Insulin Resistant Patients in Primary Care - PMC

Hypertension is the second biggest known global risk factor for disease after poor diet; perhaps lifestyle interventions are underutilized? In a previous small pilot study, it was found that a low carbohydrate diet was associated with significant ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
I’ve been low carb to varying degrees for must be a decade, on a maximum fat guzzling saturated binge, my triglycerides went from 2.5 to 0.6, I ran 40 miles a week including marathon on keto, Dr Jason Fung who is my hero is a huge advocate of low carb and is a kidney specialist, I am fully indoctrinated into the church of low carb, in my opinion it’s the only way to improve, reverse, put onto remission type 2 and is also extremely useful tool for type 1, the only reason it is not endorsed by every medical professional on the planet is there is no money in it for pharma or Kellogg’s etc, anyone disagreeing with me is ignored like a Christian ignores the atheist, I’m a cultist :)

There are some conditions that make it impossable to low carb, I know this because my sister has one.
 
I'm far from long term, I've been low carb for 16 weeks so far, but haven't been on any diabetes medication. I was told I had NAFLD when I was diagnosed with diabetes, mainly due to my serum alanine aminotransferase result being 114 (normal range is 0 to 35). On my last blood test, after 15 weeks low carbing, this result was a mid-normal range 19. Beyond that, my kidney function results all improved too during that time.

There may well be long term risks to low carb, however can you name a long term diet you could do that doesn't have any risk at all? I can't. That aside, in my opinion, any risks that do exist from low carb are far outweighed by the blood glucose control it enables me to have without medication, or the side effects from it.
 
Back
Top