I’ve already talked about what to eat with Gilbert syndrome, and why those foods are important to eat based on nutritional value, vitamins, minerals, and benefits.
I’ve also mentioned how to manage Gilbert Syndrome to feel better.
But I’ve also been doing some digging for my own personal journey and have come across helpful information relating to Gilbert Syndrome, and studies that have been tested with certain diets.
That diet is the palaeolithic keto diet.
It blends the health benefits of a paleo diet with a ketogenic diet, further reducing carbs and enhancing the whole foods that are best for your health.
Plus more I’ll get into.
Details of the study (summary)
This case report discusses the reversal of symptoms and laboratory parameters in a patient with Gilbert’s syndrome (GS) after following a paleolithic and then a paleolithic ketogenic diet. GS is a hereditary hyperbilirubinemia syndrome caused by impaired bilirubin metabolism in the liver.
One thing to keep in mind is:
- There’s not a lot of information relating to Gilbert syndrome (which is why I speak about it).
- Studies are usually older in nature (the 2000s, 2010s, etc).
- And the number of studies is small and lacking in the grand scheme of things.
But where relevant, studies like the one highlighted in The Science Of Education And Publishing are relevant and worth spreading to the masses.
With that out of the way, let’s get to it.
Palaeolithic ketogenic diet’s impact on Gilbert Syndrome:
1. Multiple benefits of the paleo keto diet
The patient’s symptoms of fatigue, itching, gastrointestinal symptoms, increased risk for gallstones, and neurologic symptoms improved after the dietary shift.
What this points to is the associated risks for Gilbert Syndrome, like:
- Fatigue.
- Itching.
- Gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Gallstones.
- Neurologic symptoms.
These are things that people with these risks, whether they currently have these things or not, were eliminated once they pursued the palaeolithic ketogenic diet.
The patient in particular was already experiencing fatigue, itching, and gastrointestinal symptoms which disappeared once the paleo keto diet was pursued.
2. Lab tests after the fact
Laboratory tests showed a decrease in total and direct bilirubin levels after the shift to the paleolithic diet and further improvement with the paleolithic ketogenic diet.
What this tells us is the bilirubin in the patents blood decreased drastically, which is the problem with Gilbert Syndrome in the first place.
The build-up of bilirubin in the blood is what leads to fatigue, tiredness, energy problems, and even jaundice and yellowing of the eyes, etc.
The patient was a female and this was no longer an issue.
While this is a small study, it does offer insight into the effects of nutrition, even with something like Gilbert Syndrome.
3. Associated Gilbert Syndrome benefits from Paleo Keto
The paleolithic ketogenic diet was associated with improved fitness, decreased migraine episodes, resolution of granulomatosus dermatitis, weight gain, and no reported side effects.
In this patient, after going all in with the palaeolithic ketogenic diet, they saw:
- Improved fitness.
- Decreased migraines.
- Fixed granulomatosis dermatitis.
- Solved their weight gain issues.
And of course, there were NO side effects to top it all off.
This makes you question: can this also be achieved with only the ketogenic diet, or is paleo a key part of the results?
Either way, the lowering of carbohydrates, something I’ve talked about, and the lowering of sugar was important.
Leading to my next point.
Important notes to consider:
4. The paleo keto diet
The paleolithic ketogenic diet was based on animal fat, meat, eggs, offal, and a lesser amount of vegetables and fruits.
This lines up with my personal experience with fruits having Gilbert Syndrome, and why most are no good for you. Including many vegetables as well.
In this study, the main foods the patient ate were:
- Animal fats.
- Meat.
- Eggs.
- Liver, Kidney, and organ meats.
- As little veg or fruits as possible.
And THIS is what leads to their improvements in Gilbert Syndrome. Like itching, Gastrointestinal issues, fatigue, and more.
With the point about veg and fruit, we don’t know WHAT vegetables or fruits were eating even if a little or less. So you’ll have to use your own testing.
5. The paleo diet in general
Tablet with Paleo diet and Fresh Meat on Wooden Board
The popular paleolithic diet initially followed restricted milk, dairy, refined carbohydrates, cereals, legumes, maize, rice, and most vegetable oils.
By this statement, we can assume dairy was also NOT part of the keto inclusion to the already paleo diet. Meaning it was still eaten but it wasn’t a major part of the diet.
That said:
- Milk.
- Dairy.
- Refined carbs.
- Cereals.
- Legumes.
- Maize.
- Rice.
- Vegetable oils.
All of these things were heavily restricted if not outright avoided (before following the paleo keto diet).
Once the keto benefits were introduced, we can guess almost all of these were removed completely with the exception of dairy (maybe).
The important point here is what was restricted and how that created the results of LESS bilirubin in the blood, with all the associated benefits and Gilbert Syndrome associations like fatigue disappearing.
Gilbert syndrome facts:
- GS is a hereditary hyperbilirubinemia syndrome affecting 5-10% of the population.
- GS is primarily attributed to impaired conjugation of bilirubin in the liver due to decreased bilirubin glucuronyltransferase activity.
SOURCES:
Recommended:
11 Signs You’re Eating Too Much Carbohydrates