Gilbert Syndrome And Exercise: Does It Make A Difference?

Gilbert Syndrome is the cause of HIGH bilirubin in your blood. It’s a red blood cell dysfunction of sorts.

As a result, it’s also connected to the liver as far as problems.

Is there a connection to exercise? That’s the question, and now let’s answer it.

Here’s a list.

What does the science say?

The “science”, if you wanna call it that, when it comes to Gilbert Syndrome says a lot of different things.

As you know when dealing with Gilbert Syndrome, there are:

• yellowing of the skin and white parts of your eyes (jaundice)
• nausea and diarrhoea
• slight discomfort in your abdominal area
• fatigue

As far as symptoms go.

The most consistent thing the “science” mentions when relating to exercise is more exercise increases these symptoms. Meaning you’ll end up even more fatigued if you do too much.

Or it could bring on even more of any of its symptoms.

What I should say is, that intensive exercise increases these symptoms, including the bilirubin in your blood, so this kind of intensive exercise is better avoided unless you keep it short.

QUOTE:

“Avoid long periods of intense exercise. Keep strenuous workouts short (under 10 minutes). Try to get at least 30 minutes of light to moderate exercise each day.” – Healthline

This is backed by Nidirect.Gov.uk, which mentions physical exertion as one of the contributing factors causing Gilbert Syndrome.

Or  “triggering” its symptoms.

Supporting or conflicting information?

The National Library Of Medicine mentioned a study of  20 male athletes of the age of 26, and endurance exercise had no effect on their bilirubin levels.

This means exercise didn’t increase it despite that being the main evidence that it does increase it, or is more likely to increase it along with other G.S. symptoms.

Notes:

• A study on 20 male athletes (mean age 26 years) revealed no effect of endurance exercise on serum bilirubin levels.
• Ten athletes had Gilbert’s syndrome (familial hyperbilirubinemia), and ten were healthy controls.
• The exercise involved a 60-minute cycle-ergometer test, reaching 70% of the individual maximal heart rate.

Counter evidence for exercise and Gilbert Syndrome

In an article published in 2022 on the website Frontiers, they ask a question.

That question is:

• Does Bilurubin enhance exercise performance?

Here are some relevant notes taken from that study.

METHOD:

• The study includes 536 elite athletes and 2594 individuals from the general Czech population.
• Evaluation of serum bilirubin concentrations, prevalence of GS, and UGT1A1 gene promoter variants.
• Total antioxidant status and correlation with serum bilirubin concentrations were analyzed in a subset of elite athletes.

RESULTS:

• Elite athletes have significantly higher serum bilirubin concentrations compared to the general population.
• The prevalence of GS is also much higher in elite athletes.
• Serum bilirubin concentrations positively correlate with uric acid and albumin concentrations.

What this points out in plain English is exercise is correlated with elite performance in athletes. The more elite they are, the more guaranteed it is that they have Gilbert Syndrome.

Of course, this study was done on 536 elite athletes and 2594 individuals from CZECH, so like any study, the amount of “samples” is low and never enough for it to be conclusive or as undeniable as gravity.

Still, what this does tell me at least is:

• If you’re the type of person who works out intensively as a lifestyle, higher bilirubin is a good thing.
• If you’re like most people, then too much of this exercise can bring on symptoms like fatigue, tiredness, etc.

The majority are in the latter group since athletes by definition are outliers and are not the majority of the population, regardless of which country we are talking about or using as a measurement.

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In the actual study published on Springer Open, they mentioned this:

• Regular physical exercise is associated with increased serum bilirubin concentrations, likely a positive feedback mechanism.
• Long-term bilirubin elevation in athletes may result from exercise-induced hemolysis and increased antioxidant reserves.

As well as:

Does exercise benefit the liver for G.S?

Gilbert Syndrome is where the liver can’t process Bilurubin properly in the body, which is what leads to all of these complications and symptoms in the first place.

In the case of where athletes were associated with having Gilbert Syndrome, especially at the highest levels, you could say exercise has a positive impact on the liver and helps Gilbert Syndrome.

But this is speculation but still, it’s a logical point of view given the limited (but still) evidence of athletes and their association with having not just G.S., but higher levels of bilirubin.

But if we’re talking about the average person walking down the street who has Gilbert Syndrome and Jaundice, then the answer looks a lot different.

In those cases, more exercise may increase bilirubin, but the symptoms will also increase, and so at most, it will either have a neutral effect on the liver or a minor effect since it won’t be life-threatening or damaging.

My personal experience with exercise and having Gilbert Syndrome

When I let’s say, walk for 2 hours or 1+ hours I feel good for a lot of reasons.

These reasons are unique to me:

• I’ve had heart problems, so exercise is a positive for me.
• Running also has a benefit for how it makes me feel, especially with heart health.

But I have noticed that when doing these kinda walks or exercises, I can feel extremely tired later.

It’s the type of tiredness that can make you question whether you ate or drank the wrong thing and that somehow caused it, or if you ate too much and that made you sleepy.

But Gilbert Syndrome leads to these symptoms of fatigue regardless of whether you exercise more or not, but there is a clear difference for me personally when exercise is involved. More so when it’s more intense or it lasts a lot longer.

Especially these days since my health is better than ever, and I’m not eating the kind of shit I was years prior.

Looking at the bigger picture

The whole point of this post is to do just that, to look at the bigger picture which is why I gave all sides of the argument as far as evidence.

Does it mean you should never exercise? Obviously not, but it does mean you should be self aware.

• How much exercise can you take before it raises your bilirubin to the point of symptoms?
• How much exercise is enough for you?
• How much exercise is healthy?
• Are you training to be an athlete?

No matter what these studies say, only YOU know your limits or what amount of exercise can trigger you.

That’s the purpose. Find that out, use this as a guide, and see what results you get from there.

Exercise has plenty of benefits besides the fact it can be a negative for many with Gilbert Syndrome. But if you can get it right, or you’re an elite athlete, there can be benefits to be gained as well.

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