Elevated Liver Values - Should I Be Concerned?

[madman]

I just received a call from my family physician regarding my overall blood work everything overall looked ok except my ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE is slightly elevated says HI 57 RANGE <50 U/L she wants me to go for further test for liver I am worried?



What could cause this?

 

[zorro]

Had you recently taken Tylenol? Mine has been elevated before (it was this last blood work actually) - Tylenol is often to blame. Anytime it comes up a little high, my doc always has me retest in 2 months and it's always been normal again.

 

[Vince]

Muscular exercise can cause highly pathological liver function tests in healthy men https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...hological-liver-function-tests-in-healthy-men

 

[madman]

No Tylenol, I did exercise heavy the night before my blood test. Finished my workout at 9pm and bloods were taken the next morning at 7:30am...........................hoping when I go for further tests it is related to the strenuous exercise?

 

[Vince]

good chance it's just from over-exercising

 

[MikeXL]

Strenuous exercise can cause elevated liver enzymes. This is because the so-called liver enzymes are not specific to the liver, they are in muscle as well. However, AST is in much greater concentration in muscle cells than is ALT. Thus, it stands to reason, and this has been born out in studies that strenuous exercise raises AST more than ALT.

If the raise is ALT only. It is very likely the liver. That said, very many things can do it. Most not of a concern at all. Tylenol use can. As can any drug.

Finally, people will proclaim that if you GGT is ok, it is not the liver. This is false. Although GGT is in fact the liver, often in pharmaceutical hepatitis or viral hepatitis AST and ALT is raised and GGT is not

Muscular exercise can cause highly pathological liver function tests in healthy men https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...hological-liver-function-tests-in-healthy-men

 

[Vince Carter]

We're you atleast 8 hrs (if not 10+) when you were tested...I find it is always advisable, even if Drs and labs contradict, that you should be 8-10hrs fasted anytime you have a CBC and/or CMP. I also strive to be 72hrs post gym before I have any of these pulled. You should retest under these more ideal conditions before you lose any sleep over it.

 

[madman]

I was about 8.5 hrs fasted. When I go for further blood work I will try waiting 72 hrs post workout. Thanks.

 

[madman]

Strenuous exercise can cause elevated liver enzymes. This is because the so-called liver enzymes are not specific to the liver, they are in muscle as well. However, AST is in much greater concentration in muscle cells than is ALT. Thus, it stands to reason, and this has been born out in studies that strenuous exercise raises AST more than ALT.

If the raise is ALT only. It is very likely the liver. That said, very many things can do it. Most not of a concern at all. Tylenol use can. As can any drug.

Finally, people will proclaim that if you GGT is ok, it is not the liver. This is false. Although GGT is in fact the liver, often in pharmaceutical hepatitis or viral hepatitis AST and ALT is raised and GGT is not

A lot of the literature on pubmed states strenuous exercise can raise both AST and ALT.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2291230/

Mind you I always thought it was mainly AST that gets elevated so hope it is related to the heavy lifting.

 

[MikeXL]

Yes the study that you quote is exactly the one that I had in mind when I it has been born out in studies. However, go to the graphs of AST and ALT embedded in the link. You will see that the AST raise by 18 and ALT by 4 at the peak

A lot of the literature on pubmed states strenuous exercise can raise both AST and ALT.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2291230/

Mind you I always thought it was mainly AST that gets elevated so hope it is related to the heavy lifting.

 

[Gene Devine]

Slightly elevated liver enzymes can be caused by many many things and are probably one of the most seen my physicians.

Most physician's "in the know" don't worry about slightly elevated enzymes and will just keep an eye on it.

Getting liver tests with just a above range is overkill.

I also have slightly elevated liver enzymes. I train like a mad man and like to have a few beers every night after a hard day of work and hard day in the gym...it's normal.

If it were me; I'd pass on the liver tests unless you are exhibiting symptoms of liver pathology...if not...skip it and just keep an eye on it.

 

[madman]

Thanks again for your advice everyone!

 

[Vince]

Jason has a video on liver health. https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?6192-How-to-Optimize-the-Health-of-Your-Liver

 

[madman]

I waited until the next week to go for the test my gp requested. I went on Thursday February 16 in the early morning had blood drawn 7:22am. I could have looked at my results online the next day but did not want to work myself up as I thought I would wait and hope that I do not received another phone call from my gp. Have not heard from my gp since the test so hoping it was ok. So it has been just over a few weeks since my results came back and I went online today to look at them.

Overall the tests related to the liver came back in range except ALT and AST still slightly elevated? Not sure what to make of this.

Here are my results:

COAGULATION STUDIES

INR 1.1 RANGE 0.9-1.2


GENERAL CHEMISTRY


ALBUMIN 41 RANGE 35-52 g/L

BILIRUBIN TOTAL 7 RANGE <20 umol/L

ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE 107 RANGE 40-129 U/L

GAMMA GLUTAMYL TRANSFERASE 26 RANGE 14-62 U/L

ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE HI 59 RANGE <50 U/L

ASPARTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE HI 38 RANGE <35 U/L




Do any of you take any supplement that has actually improved your ALT/AST? Also I had worked out 60hrs prior to my blood work. Was hoping to have at least 3 full days from workout and I know a week without lifting would have been ideal.


In the past few years my ALT has been in range between 43-45 RANGE <50

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Exercise is what is causing your slight elevation. It is not pathological. It is just the product of increase muscle breakdown that has to be cleaned up by the liver.

Only taking a long break from the gym may help. Or you could try taking 500 mg NAC twice per day as an experiment.

 

[madman]

Thanks Nelson makes sense. I love to train. Will look into giving NAC a go!