Why am I itching a lot on keto?

Sudden skin itchiness after starting keto can be caused by bile salts that back up from the liver into the skin. This can happen because the person has something called cholestasis.

Cholestasis is a situation where the person has a decreased flow of bile, either because there is an obstruction in one of the ducts, or there is sludge (a higher level of cholesterol and low bile). Bile is a detergent, and it can be very toxic if it’s in the wrong place, for example on the skin. A person with cholestasis may also experience a full sensation underneath the right rib cage. This may have started because you introduced more fat into the diet, and you didn’t have enough bile to handle the fat because your body hadn’t adapted yet.

Remedies for itchiness on keto:

• Consume purified bile salts (TUDCA)

• Consume choline