Causes of Liver Enzyme to go High?

[busterwrinkles]

Hi,

I just got a blood test from my doctor. She checked my liver, kidney's, and cholesterol just recently this week.

She says my liver enzymes are higher than normal. And she was concerned that it was something such as Hep B or C, too much drinking, my work out vitamins, etc...

I am not over weight. I am in my late 20's. I eat healthy, I rarely drink. So now I am curious, of the products and items I have listed below, which items can cause Liver Enzymes to go high?

I take this daily when i work out:
1 scoop of NO Explode
1x 1500 mg glucosmine pill
1-2 tblspon of L-Glutamine Powder
25-50grams of Isopure Whey
1x 1000 mg Omega 3 Pill
1x 500mg vitamin C Pill

Thanks.

[chasinSKURT]

Weight training alone can temporarily raise liver values... I'd have another test done, and make sure that you don't lift for about 48 hours prior.

[cuse88]

Hi,

I just got a blood test from my doctor. She checked my liver, kidney's, and cholesterol just recently this week.

She says my liver enzymes are higher than normal. And she was concerned that it was something such as Hep B or C, too much drinking, my work out vitamins, etc...

I am not over weight. I am in my late 20's. I eat healthy, I rarely drink. So now I am curious, of the products and items I have listed below, which items can cause Liver Enzymes to go high?

I take this daily when i work out:
1 scoop of NO Explode
1x 1500 mg glucosmine pill
1-2 tblspon of L-Glutamine Powder
25-50grams of Isopure Whey
1x 1000 mg Omega 3 Pill
1x 500mg vitamin C Pill

Thanks.

There was a study out this past year that fish oil can increase liver enzymes my Dad had the same issue and he cut out his fish oil and his liver enzymes dropped. The amount you are taking should not be causing this ,but everyone is different. I would maybe try dropping the fish oil and seeing if that is the problem, if not that is one thing checked off the list.

[NO HYPE]

There was a study out this past year that fish oil can increase liver enzymes

Link?

[Doughboy]

This?

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2370071

[NO HYPE]

She says my liver enzymes are higher than normal. And she was concerned that it was something such as Hep B or C, too much drinking, my work out vitamins, etc...

lol @ using vitamins and hepatitis in the same sentence as an example of your elevated values.

[NO HYPE]

This? http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2370071

Right now I'm wondering what dosages were used --> "fish oil levels being 0, 1, 10 and 20 energy%". Additionally in terms of the actual elevated values [which were not revealed in the abstract], I noticed the authors did not notate statistical significance --> so I wonder how significant of a rise was observed?

Food Chem Toxicol. 1998 Aug;36(8):663-72.
The association of increasing dietary concentrations of fish oil with hepatotoxic effects and a higher degree of aorta atherosclerosis in the ad lib.-fed rabbit.Ritskes-Hoitinga J, Verschuren PM, Meijer GW, Wiersma A, van de Kooij AJ, Timmer WG, Blonk CG, Weststrate JA.
Unilever Nutrition Centre, Unilever Research Laboratory, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands.

The long-term effects of consumption of marine long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on atherosclerosis in the rabbit were examined. Female Dutch rabbits were fed purified diets, containing 40 energy% total fat, for a period of 2.5 years. To study the dose response relationship between fish oil intake and atherosclerosis, four diets were formulated with fish oil levels being 0, 1, 10 and 20 energy%. A fifth and sixth group were fed an alpha-linolenic acid-(C18:3, n-3) and linoleic acid-(C18:2, n-6) rich diet, respectively. Every 6 weeks, blood samples were taken for determination of clinical chemical parameters, triacylglycerol and total cholesterol levels. Feeding 10 and 20 energy% fish oil containing diets, resulted in an increase of liver enzymes (AST, ALT and ALP). Histological evaluation of the liver also revealed adverse effects of fish oil containing diets. Triacylglycerol blood levels were similar in all groups, and remained constant throughout the study. Total cholesterol levels in blood was significantly lower in the animals fed a linoleic acid-rich diet, as compared with the other five groups. An n-3 long-chain PUFA concentration dependent increase in aorta plaque surface area was observed in the fish oil groups. A significant positive relationship was found between the group mean score for severity of liver pathology and the aorta plaque surface area. These results indicate that the long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil may be hepatotoxic to the herbivorous rabbit, which may interfere with the outcome of atherosclerosis studies. This finding necessitates the exclusion of liver pathology in experimental studies on atherosclerosis in animal models.

[cuse88]

I can't find the link ,I read it around this time last year in Muscular Development magazine I believe. My Dad was taking I believe 2-3 capsules , 3,000mg, per day and his test came back with his liver enzymes being high. I told him about the study, he cut back to 1 and his next blood work showed his liver enzymes were back to normal. So, living proof it works.

It is hard to say that 1,000 mg could be doing that you, but no one body is the same.

[Brandenburg]

Hi,

I just got a blood test from my doctor. She checked my liver, kidney's, and cholesterol just recently this week.

She says my liver enzymes are higher than normal. And she was concerned that it was something such as Hep B or C, too much drinking, my work out vitamins, etc...

I am not over weight. I am in my late 20's. I eat healthy, I rarely drink. So now I am curious, of the products and items I have listed below, which items can cause Liver Enzymes to go high?

I take this daily when i work out:
1 scoop of NO Explode
1x 1500 mg glucosmine pill
1-2 tblspon of L-Glutamine Powder
25-50grams of Isopure Whey
1x 1000 mg Omega 3 Pill
1x 500mg vitamin C Pill

Thanks.

In recent years supplement formulations involving the use of creatine have become more advanced and thus more effective. Most new supplement users are not aware of the days when CellTech and Phos****en HP reigned supreme and if you wanted to save a few bucks, taking your bulk creatine monohydrate with grape juice was something most educated supplement users preferred.

Of course, both the media and medical communities were very skeptical of the ergogenic and health benefits of creatine supplementation once it became popular among athletes. The medical research community tried focusing on the negative aspects such as increased bloating due to water retention and possible stress placed on vital organs such as te liver and kidneys. However, as more and more studies surfaced showing creatine supplementation proved both safe (1) and an effective (2) ergogenic aid in athletes the medical community began to look at creatine in a positive light. Now current research shows benefits of creatine supplementation in those with muscular dystrophy (3), assisting recovery in patients with chronic heart failure (4), those undergoing mild chemotherapy treatment for cancer (5), as well as neuroprotective benefits (6), and also is being recommendended in PHASE III clinical trials for treatments that slow the progression of Parkinson’s Disease (7). These are just a few of the hundreds of studies surfacing showing the benefits of creatine in both healthy athletes and in clinical applications for treatment of disease.

Despite the support creatine supplementation receives in the medical research community, among numerous athletic trainers, and educated supplement users there is still a lot of ignorance among the general public about creatine use and the media loves to prey on this. Just the term supplement seems to be associated with steroids and bulging veins by the general public. Little do they know is that the body actually produces creatine and it is found in red meats and some fish (8). It has also been shown that muscular creatine stores in vegans are on average low and can be corrected with creatine supplementation (9).

As any avid supplement user can attest to, the reputation of supplements like creatine is fragile and at a disadvantage given the long shadow cast by the judgement of media which has in turn influenced the opinion of the masses. Unfortunately, in the race to make more effective preworkout creatine cocktails we have now begun to see the inclusion of a creatine precursor called glycocyamine or more commonly known in the medical research community as guanidinoacetate (GAA). What frightens me is that the inclusion of this chemical could quite possibly shatter the fragile image both creatine and the supplement idustry as whole must maintain before both the media and general public due to possible long term health concerns.

The reason for my worries is that dietary GAA raises plasma homocysteine levels (10). Unfortunately, elevated plasma homocyteine levels have been attributed to a host of diseases including dementia (11), Alzheimer’s disease (11), and coronary heart disease (12). With that in mind there are other factors which can possibly lower homocysteine levels such certain B-vitamins but have unfortunately shown conflicting results as to a true benefit (13). Another more important supplemental factor which has shown to be effective in lowering homocysteine is betaine (14). Combined, both betaine and GAA can even be effective assisting people with cardiac decompensation (arteriosclerosis or rheumatic disease) and congestive heart failure (15). Unfortunately, weighing both the postives and negatives it is clear that relatively small changes in increasing homocysteine levels can have negative health implications in healthy adults (16)

My issue with basing arguments off the Stuart study (15) is that congestive heart failure can be attributed to anaerobic ATP deficiencies (17). This means that smooth muscle creatine saturation levels are most likely low due to some issue with GMAT production or some other issue. So yes, in a unhealthy person the combo of the two might assist with heart function as it will elevate cardiac muscle creatine levels thus buffering ATP deficiencies.

However, the Stuart study (16) also showed that only betaine benefited arthersclerosis without the inclusion of GAA. We know from the Stead (10) study that GAA raises homocysteine levels in healthy subjects. So why do you want to buffer a potentially dangerous substance when it isn’t necessary in creatine responders at raising muscular creatine levels as the Stead study implied?

"Effect of creatine and GAA supplementation…. Muscle creatine was increased by 39% in GAA-supplemented animals and by 46% in the creatine-supplemented group compared with control values. Phosphocreatine was unchanged. Plasma creatine was about sixfold higher in both the GAA- and creatine-supplemented groups. These data indicate that dietary supplementation with creatine or GAA significantly alters both muscle and plasma creatine levels."

To me, a creatine responder, this will not benefit me at all so why trust a ratio to protect me from possible neurological (11,18) and possible coronary artherosclerotic diseases (12,19). I’m sorry I just don’t trust the inclusion of betaine which was based off of a studies of those with creatine deficiencies is going to protect me from possible glycocyamine induced hyperhomocysteinemia, nor is the inclusion of b-vitamins.

I respect my body more than that and is why I have shed some light on the subject in the hopes others will as well. This is the sort of the same ideology I used when I decided never to try PH’s. Why put something in your body that is potentially toxic when it isn’t necessary? Yes, I can use PCT to counteract the negative side effects, but how do I know they are really countering each other in the desired manner and not injuring a vital organ like my liver? In all reality, I don’t know and thus avoid any potential long term health risks by choosing not use them. The same goes for GAA with regards to potential neurological and vascular pathologies down the road. Ultimately, the choice is up to the consumer to use products containing GAA, however this educated consumer will not. To me, greed and poor research methods for supplement formulation does nothing except continue to fan the flames of the ever growing fire destroying the supplement industry’s image in the arena of public opinion. How much warning does the FDA and government have to give before this freedom of choice is taken away permanently?

Maybe this actually holds water, maybe not? sorry to hear that man

[NO HYPE]

My Dad was taking I believe 2-3 capsules , 3,000mg, per day and his test came back with his liver enzymes being high. I told him about the study, he cut back to 1 and his next blood work showed his liver enzymes were back to normal. So, living proof it works.

Not from a clinical standpoint --> there are far too many variables to just assume it was the additional 2 grams of fish oil.

[cuse88]

Not from a clinical standpoint --> there are far too many variables to just assume it was the additional 2 grams of fish oil.

I am not going to get an argument as I have no clinical background. Just restating what happen with my Dad and what the Doctor's told him. I was just throwing this idea out there that it was a possibility.

[NO HYPE]

I have no clinical background.

Nor do I.

I am not going to get an argument

Wasn't looking for one.... just pointing out facts.

[raghebparham]

I was taking omega3 and my liver enzymes became higher ,Vitamin C is fine
My family dr was concerned about Omega3 and CLA
Multivitamin as long as there s no added enzymes like Peptin or Lipas in it its fine
Even Probiotic can raise liver enzymes but not that much .
Mostly Omega3 and CLA