What Foods to Avoid if Alkaline Phosphatase is High

The human body consists of an enzyme that is known as the Alkaline phosphate or ALP that is mostly found in the form of proteins within the cells. The enzyme is supposed to perform as a catalyst in the body to allow various types of physiological functions to occur much easily and faster.

There are blood tests that help to measure the levels of ALP present in the blood, and if the level is high, then health care professionals usually advise you to bring them under control. There are certain foods that you may need to cut off from your daily diet to bring the levels of ALP at an optimum.

What do you need to know about Alkaline Phosphatase in your body?

There are various types of enzymes in the human body that helps in catalysing various physiological processes, one of the most important enzymes of them is the ALP or Alkaline Phosphatase. High amounts of ALP can be measured through blood tests. If you conduct ALP blood tests, it would be possible for you to understand the amounts of ALP that is present in the body that is coming into the body from the bones or the liver.

ALP is mostly known to be an enzyme of the liver, because it mostly functions for the different physiological processes of the liver. Apart from the liver, ALP is found in other parts of the body, especially in the digestive system, such as the bile duct, the intestine, and even in other areas like the bones, kidneys, the placenta of women who are pregnant, and so on.

High levels of ALP in the body:

When the levels of ALP increases to an abnormal limit, you can get your blood tests done to check how much damage high levels may have done to your body. ALP tests are some of those tests that should be done to ensure that your bodily functions are going fine and no damage has been done to the body internally. It is therefore important to note here, that checking ALP levels is crucial because abnormal levels of ALP can be a major indicator that the person may be developing diseases such as bone disorders and/or significant liver problems.

When the amounts of ALP increases in the body, there might be high chances that your body tissues may be damaged or there may be a disruption of usual bodily processes. So, it is always advisable to keep your ALP levels within check and maintain ways that can help to prevent the risks of developing high ALP in the body.

When is high ALP is harmful for you? Types of ALP and other details about ALP blood tests

Though one ALP test cannot prove the occurrence of a disease alone, but high levels of ALP can indicate major health issues. There are primarily two variations of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) blood tests:

 a general ALP, which is mostly the common ALP test and

 an ALP isoenzyme test.

Apart from these two, your health care professional can also recommend you to go through a general ALP test. This type of blood test is known as a comprehensive metabolic panel or a CMP. Doctors may also suggest their patients to go through other tests as well, like a liver panel (LFT or HFP) to check whether the liver functioning has been affected or not.

Importance of ALP Blood tests:

ALP blood tests simply help to measure the levels of ALP in the bloodstream, so in some cases physicians may also prescribe their patients to undergo an ALP isoenzyme test. This test can be more effective because through this one can differentiate between the types of alkaline phosphatases in the body on the basis of the location where they are produced from in your body.

Once you get to know about the abnormalities of the ALP levels in your body, you may need to take steps to control the levels. Apart from taking in medicines, you need to remove certain foods from your diet as well to control the levels of ALP in your body.

Foods to cut off from your diet if you have high ALP:

Here is a list of food components that you may need to limit or avoid if your blood tests show that you have high levels of ALP in the body:

1. Alcohol:

Consumption of alcohol always has immense negative effects on the health, but having alcohol when you have high levels of ALP can increase the risks of developing liver problems and can also lead to liver damage. Moreover, having alcohol can also further increase the levels of alkaline phosphatase in the body.

2. Smoking cigarettes:

Besides limiting or avoiding drinking alcohol, you must also stop smoking cigarettes if you have high levels of ALP. This is because apart from having negative effects on other aspects of health, smoking with high ALP can have harmful side effects on the health and functioning of your liver.

3. Fatty and fried foods:

Health care professionals always recommend their patients to reduce the intake of foods that are produced with fish oils, vegetable oils, and fatty oils when they have high levels of ALP. This is suggested because such types of fried foods can result in an increase in the level of Alkaline phosphatase. Some processed food can affect your health if you have high alkaline phosphatase levels in the blood. Many doctors have suggested that the intake of cod liver oil can increase the levels of ALP, which can be harmful, particularly when you already have high ALP in the body. You must also try to avoid coconut oil or corn oil because these types of oils can also have a tendency to increase the ALP levels in the blood.

Moreover, fried and fatty foods re already known to result in liver problems, for instance, heavy consumption of foods that are deep-fried in oils can increase the chances of enzyme production and can affect your liver health negatively, so it is always better to avoid such types of foods in your diet. Try to avoid fast foods, packaged snacks and ready-to-eat meals, and have healthy and balanced diet instead.

4. Foods that are high in fructose and corn syrup:

Avoid foods that are high in fructose or corn syrup because excessive intake of such foods in your diet may have a tendency to increase the risks of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases, which may later progress to become liver cirrhosis as well. You may also try to avoid foods that are rich in cane sugar when you have high levels of ALP to protect your liver health.

5. Foods and beverages with added sugar:

Do not consume foods that are rich in sugar in your diet in high quantities if you have high ALP levels. Health care experts opine that foods such as pastries, donuts, candies, desserts, and beverages like canned drinks, fruit juices with added sweetening agents can result in metabolic disturbances, which can not only cause increase in body weight (and may be obesity), but will also hamper the liver health, especially if you have high levels of ALP.

6. Processed and junk foods:

Processed or junk foods can affect your overall health, including digestion, absorption, and metabolism, if you consume them regularly in greater amounts. If you have high levels of ALP, you will be advised to cut off the consumption of processed, packaged and junk foods in your diet to reduce the risks of diseases that may arise as a result of chronic inflammation or liver problems.

7. Foods that are high in zinc contents:

If blood tests show that you have high levels of ALP in your blood, then it would be recommended for you to limit the intake of foods that are rich in zinc content. This is because Zinc is a structural element of the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzyme, and having zinc-rich foods can worsen your ALP levels, some such foods that are rich in zinc include:

• Fruit

• Milk

• Yogurt

• Cashews

• Oysters

• Dungeness Crabs

• Beef

• Dark-Meat Turkey and Chicken

• Pork

• Baked Beans.

8. Foods high in proteins:

You must also reduce the intake of foods that are rich proteins or protein supplements if you have high levels of ALP in your body, try to avoid the following types of protein-rich foods:

• Eggs

• Mozzarella

• Whole wheat bread

• Chicken

• Turkey

• Nuts

• Lentils

• Beef

• Salmon

• Yogurt

• Skimmed milk.

Conclusion:

ALP is a very important enzyme of the body, but it is quite crucial to control its levels in the body, so that the body is in healthy functioning condition. If blood tests show that you have high levels of ALP in the body, then it would be highly advisable for you to cut off smoking, drinking, and avoid the consumption of processed or packaged foods, and certain types of nutrients in your daily diet. If needed, you should consult with your health care professional regarding the foods that you should or should not have if your ALP levels are high.