In my private hormone clinic appointment today I was told my high ALT/ AST numbers are very likely due to my creatine use. 5grams a day off and on for about 5 years now.
My ALT values have always been on the very low end until last spring they popped up to above acceptable range. I got them tested again (along with my AST) and ALT is lower now, but not within range. AST is above range.
The clinic is insisting its my creatine use.
I agree to stop taking it for 8 weeks and retest ALT/AST.
From what I have read, very high doses of creatine can be hard on the liver and in rare cases low/moderate doses over long periods of time can cause liver damage.
Any thoughts?
Albeit, it is possible as there are cases of liver injury (specific types) due to creatine usage I doubt very much that is the culprit. Keep in mind - it is suspected to be from creatine because that is the only supplement the patient admits to taking.
Just an excerpt from our friend the internet albeit I don't have the paper it was taken from, "
reduce the homo-cysteine production in liver, diminishing fat accumulation and resulting in beneficial effects in fatty liver and non-alcoholic liver disease."
In healthy people creatine should not impact your kidney function but if you have kidney damage, it
may negatively impact your kidney function but so will a shit ton of the things we eat.
I have posted papers/studies on the health benefits of creatine in the health section. As a general rule, I don't think it will impact the average person negatively.
@ajfromab is accurate - if eating specific foods, we are already getting a lot of creatine.
The only tidbit that pops to mind is creatine 'can' reduce your level sam-e and since sam-e is good for your liver, in that respect it could have a negative impact. If using standard doses, I won't give it a second thought and will continue to use creatine from time to time.
The issue with this system the doctor is using is your liver enzymes may drop, with no real explanation in the same manner as your liver enzymes could be higher when you are fighting off a virus but don't feel sick, and they are normal now and the doctor states it is creatine when it isn't.
Doc's sometimes go by one test and I'm very ascertive with doctors but not rude. I want multiple repeat tests to prove the theory and if they won't help me, I will move on to Maple and present with a symptom that requires the blood work to check my liver or whatever organ(s) I want tested. I use to pay for Letsgetchecked (can't in Canada anymore) and recently one of our local Naturopaths can order blood tests so I use her now. That being said, with the amount of taxes I pay and not having a doctor, I won't lose any sleep about using Maple to get the blood tests I want. Respectfully, to most doctors you can get almost any blood test you want if you tell them the symptoms that require blood tests prior to any other modalities to determine if there is an issue.
