bodybuilding with hep c

[fordy]

ive been lifting weights again for 6mnths now.I take whey protien 23grams i time daily.would this elevate alt ,ast levels.I like training and have good gains.i have hep c and my alt,ast test were up this week.1st time in 10 years.i feel good ,could the weight training be hurting my liver?

[cuteus]

folks forget about these threads down here after a while, please post the question in a more recent thread so that you can get some answers.

[catfish68]

I have a question rather than a comment.  Please forgive me if I'm not using this forum correctly.  Anyways, I have hep c, have had it for approx. 6 yrs.  My ALT's have remained around 92, twice normal, and my AST's bounce into and out of range.  This according to the 3 hepatic function panels I've had over the past 4 years.  I like bodybuilding, done some steroids in the past, been off since Dec. '03.  My question is what risk am I running by using supplements such as creatine, NO2, and whey protein?  It states on the NO2 bottle to consult a doctor if you have a liver disease or an autoimmune disease before using.  What would you do?

[token]

I was diagnosed with HC a year and a half ago, I'm not in treatment, a bunch of doctors decided that it would do more harm than good at the moment, we'll see what they say in four years... I am really into sports and combine weight lifting with jogging (6 - 12km at least, 3 times a week) and pilates, what I want to tell you is actually what one doctor told me, you have to learn to listen to your body and do as much or as little exercise as long as it feels ok... this is my measure and I have to tell you that I feel great with the exercise...(ps. sorry for my English, not my native language)

[Moeymitt]

Good question...my ast/alt have been the same my whole adult life then suddenly last fall they were up, high. I did everything to try to figure out what I was doing to cause this. I came down to 2 conclusions of possibiities, one, I went off my ten year vegitarian diet to get more protein into my body, I was working out  a lot, getting ready for races and triathlons and knew I needed more protein, plus I had increased my weight work outs. also, at the same time I went on bioidetial hormones to help relieve menapauseal sytms. One was testostrone. I really thing that it was between these two that my levels went up. You could always stop taking the protein and see what happens. I tried stopping my hormones but went crazy so started them up again. I was due for another bx so did that and its the same as three years ago so I will cont. to get blood work done every four months and I did lower my protein intake.

[jaroman]

I have lifted weights seriously for over 20 years now. Since starting tx, I have had to lighten my workloads.  It also seems harder to last through a cardio session, but some of this may be fatigue.  I think we can maintain our muscle mass during tx, but probably cannot build much.
The workouts, however modified, still make you feel alot better!

[fordy]

currently Im not on any treatment.energy levels are descent.I will back off training for a couple weeks or so and see what happens.

[Schmedley]

I dont think that weight training would hurt you but I had read about a guy who unknowingly had Hep C and who was taking all kinds of supplements (including some form of steroid) If I remember the article correctly, he was blaming the supplements for an increased dibilitation of his liver.

One thing I do know however, is that it clearly states on the interferon 'indications' sheet that the body has a reduced ability to replicate muscle tissue and that if you're attempting to build muscle, it might be wise to wait until the treatment is over.

I'm no doctor however. You should definitely consult your physician.

[terriri]

I used to have a lot of websites saved for this subject but my son decided to clean out the old computer before I could save anything. However, it will only take a few google searches to find all you need to know. I love to exercise and did so throughout treatment but there is such a thing as overdoing it. Rule of thumb on treatment is moderate daily exercise can help the immune system, over doing it can hinder the immune system. The same can apply for people with a more advanced stage of hep but not on treatment. Another thing.... Almost any form of light exercise felt more like heavy cardio while on treatment (to me). To stay in shape you may want to explore other fitness routines like yoga, pilates or my favorite, a light mix workout combining all three with light weights. On the really bad days of treatment, you can do ten minutes at a time throughout the day.

[miked]

I love to run.  Going into tx I actually stated that I would "run through this and beat the virus".  3 weeks into tx I was on the treadmill and just felt like ****...I halted all exercise.  After 36 weeks I stopped tx (non-SVR) and about three weeks later the treadmill started looking interesting again.  Now 4 months after stopping tx I'm back to a 15-20 mile/week and feeling great.  If you can continue to workout through tx do it, I struggled.

[fordy]

thanks alot for your comments.I did find out that when a person breaks down muscle fiber thru weight lifting it will make alt,ast levels higher.Also the protin drink I consumed has 3.5 grams of glutamine per serving.needless to say i,ve also ate some of that good ole fatty food of the grill lately.I believe if I straighten my diet back up,get blood work done befoe workouts I can continue to train.hope this post will help others to get er done.

[mmazzz]

I have Hep B and as I went weekly to test my enzyme levels they were going down ,then for three straight weeks they went up and i couldnt figure out why. The only thing I did different was went to get tested right after my workouts. So there maybe a corrleation with workouts and testing. Knock on wood but every test after that I did before workout has gone down. I also discontinued use of glutamine and anything with sugar alchols as both products tended to make the symptons of my Hep be more severe.

[scruffy]

It seems I read or heard that the breakdown of muscle tissue as occurs in excercising can increase ast and alt levels.My memory may be wrong on this but I would guess your body building is doing more good then harm. You may want to investigate further. frank

[fordy]

;thanks,glad to that.sure hate to stop training,;;but im gonna reajust my diet and slow down the weight training.

[jmjm530]

I should also add that for fifteen years after my acute infection of hep c in the late 60's, my liver enzymes were very sensitive to exercise/exertion levels.

In fact, I had several acute relapses of  hep c (very high enzymes, brown urine, jaundice, etc.) during that time due to overdoing things.

Things changed in the 80's and 90's and the enzymes became less sensitive to exercise with no acute relapses. It's a funny virus and behaves differently with everyone.  

[jmjm530]

About seven years ago my alt and ast were in the normal range. At that time I was on the Pritikin diet -- less than 10 per cent of total calories in fat.

Then I went on the Zone diet -- 30 per cent protein, 30 fat, 40 carbs. My energy level went up so I accelerated my gym program, including aerobics and especially weight training.

After six weeks my liver enzymes shot up to their highest level in several years.

Not sure if it was the diet or the extra intensity of the exercise program, maybe a combination. In any event, I decided to go  off the zone diet and tone down the exercise. Enzymes returned back to near normal.

If I had to guess, it was the higher protein diet that raised the liver enzymes. I say this because I have been able to normalize my alt and ast three or four times in the past 10 years by going on the Pritkin diet. As soon as I go off the diet, they rise about 50%. Not sure if this has any clinical significance.