Diet / Hep.c

[Kara172]

Diet / Hep.c
by Kara172, Jul 17, 2009 09:21PM

Would anyone know of a diet that would help someone with Hep. c ? Any do's or don't's to help or hurt the patient ?

Please feel free to send me a message if you have any advise for me.

Thank's

Kara

** I posted the above question in the nutrition com. and someone told me I should post the same question here. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank's

Kara

[T246]

Low fat, very well balanced diet is best. Everyone is different, but I exercise 5 days a week and try to eat 70% complex carbos.  Green veggies, lots of fruit, not too much cheese, or dairy.  Raw grains and food,  No alcohol, or course and I try to eat less acidic food.  The average patient loses about 9% body fat during treatment.  Try and eat 6 smaller meals per day.  I am eating about 15% more calories than I ate before treatment and it helps me keep my body weight on and strength up.  You cannot drink enough water.  It is critical for easing side affects and also fighting fatigue.  A smart diet is a great idea, it only helps the liver.  Also supplements help too.  At times I crave red meat, and assume it is because my iron levels may be down from the Riba.  No worries, treat yourself too to food you like.  HVING AGOOD APPITITE IS AGREAT THING ON TX.
BEST OF LUCK, WE CALL ALL GET THROUGH THIS TX.  ITS NO PICNIC, BUT WE CAN DO THIS.

[Andiamo1]

There are many herbal medicines and many pharmaceuticals that are difficult for the liver to metabolize.  I am no expert on this subject so I hope someone else chimes in.  I do know that Valerian is tough, many fungicides are, fumes from varnish and paint and Tylenol, to name a few.

Take care,
Eric

[Kara172]

Thank's to both of you. Your help is very much appreciated. I will research the information given.

My thank's to everyone!

Kara

[burned74]

check out this study which found that people on a low fat diet has less disease progression than thos who were not on that diet. I found this on the HCVadvocate website.

Diet May Influence Liver Disease Progression
http://www.modernmedicine.com

Increased long-term risk of cirrhosis, liver cancer linked to diets high in protein and cholesterol

MONDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- Dietary nutrient composition may be associated with an increased or decreased long-term risk of developing cirrhosis or liver cancer, according to a study published in the July issue of Hepatology.

George N. Ioannou, M.D., of the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, and colleagues studied 9,221 subjects ages 25 to 74 years who were enrolled in the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and were cirrhosis-free at baseline and during the first five years of follow-up.

After a mean follow-up of 13.3 years, the researchers found that 118 subjects had developed cirrhosis and that five had developed liver cancer. After adjusting for potential confounders, the researchers found a high-protein diet was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization or death resulting from cirrhosis or liver cancer, while a high-carbohydrate diet was associated with a decreased risk. They also found that high cholesterol consumption -- but not serum cholesterol or total fat consumption -- was associated with an increased risk of cirrhosis or liver cancer.

"Many determinants of liver disease progression are currently unknown, as evidenced by the fact that we cannot predict accurately which patients with any of the major liver diseases (hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and alcoholic liver disease) will progress to cirrhosis and which ones will have a relatively benign course," the authors conclude. "Our study raises the possibility that dietary factors may be important, modifiable, and hitherto unrecognized determinants of liver disease progression."

[WriteItDown]

For fish safety, check out this website:

http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=1521

It tells you which fish have high levels of contaminants, mercury is not the only one.  Some fish, like farm-raised salmon, have very high levels of PCBs. But everyone, especially kids and women who might want to have children, should worry about high levels of mercury.

[Kara172]

Thank you, for the suggestion. My brother does have a heavy diet of fish. I'm not sure about what kind, I believe he likes shrimp and catfish. I love tuna myself, so I will cut back. I never considered the mercury in fish before.

Kara

[Rockerforlife]

Avoid big fish,like blue fin tuna and fatty fish such as swordfish,loaded with mercury.

[Kara172]

Thank's everyone for your help. You will never know how much it means to me.


With heartfelt thank's

Kara

[Rockerforlife]

Stay away from processed deli meats,sodium nitrates are very heavy on the liver.

[banarep]

Try this site:

http://hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/easyfacts/Diet.pdf

[Bill1954]

Hi Kara,

This can be a contentious subject in Hep c forums. However, if you discuss this matter with knowledgeable medical doctors, most will tell you there’s no special diet required.  Achieving and maintaining an ideal Body Mass Index (BMI) is a good idea; improper weight has been shown by some studies to be detrimental to treatment success. Of course, if Steatohepatitis (fatty liver) is present, obesity can be an issue as well.

A good diet for anyone to follow is something along the lines of what the American Heart Association promotes; high in vegetables and fruits, including whole wheat as a carbohydrate, limited lean meats, etc. This is good for Hep C patients along with the general population as well. Now pardon me while I snarf down the rest of my bacon cheese burger :o).

There are of course proponents of health foods that will peddle all kinds of specialty foods and supplements, but often this is only to enhance their pocketbooks, and most good medical docs will tell you none of this is necessary.

Eat in moderation and enjoy,

Bill