The quality of your liver depends on "liver enzymes"

"A healthy liver means a healthy body." The liver plays a vital role in secretion, detoxification, and metabolism, breaking down toxins and assisting in metabolism. If the liver is unhealthy, one may easily feel tired, have a dull complexion, lose appetite, have brittle nails, and even experience symptoms such as yellowing of the face and abdominal bloating. Liver enzymes are key indicators of liver health, but how do we find out our liver enzyme levels? And how should liver enzyme levels be interpreted? The following article provides a detailed explanation.

Understanding Liver Enzymes

Literally, liver enzymes are enzymes found in liver cells. Under normal circumstances, most liver enzymes reside within the liver, and only trace amounts are measured in blood tests. However, if the liver becomes inflamed or damaged, liver enzymes can diffuse into the bloodstream through the damaged area, increasing the blood's liver enzyme levels. Therefore, the level of liver enzyme levels can roughly indicate the degree of liver damage.

How to interpret the liver enzyme index?

The more severe the liver damage, the higher the level of liver enzymes in the blood. The liver enzyme index can be further divided into four indicators: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP).

Liver enzyme index	Normal range
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)	7 to 55 u/L
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)	8 to 48 u/L
Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)	8 to 61 u/L
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)	40–129 u/L

If ALT is higher than AST, it indicates a higher risk of chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C, or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. If AST is higher than ALT, or both ALT and AST are elevated, it may indicate alcoholic fatty liver, excessive alcohol consumption, alcohol poisoning, or acute hepatitis caused by infection. Conversely, elevated ALP and GGT may be related to bile duct obstruction, impaired bile drainage, or liver tumors.

What causes high liver enzyme levels?

Cause of high liver enzyme levels 1: Liver disease

High levels of liver enzymes are an early symptom of fatty liver, various types of hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer, indicating liver damage.

Cause 2 for high liver enzyme levels: Excessive alcohol consumption

Alcohol reduces the liver's ability to metabolize fat, making it easier for fat to accumulate in liver cells, which can eventually lead to alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Cause 3 for high liver enzyme levels: Poor dietary habits

High-fat, high-calorie, and high-sugar foods, after being metabolized by the liver, will gradually accumulate in the liver as visceral fat. Long-term consumption may lead to fatty liver disease, causing elevated liver enzyme levels.

Cause 4 for elevated liver enzymes: medication

Taking anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, antibiotics, cholesterol-lowering drugs, etc., can all affect liver function.

Cause 5 for elevated liver enzymes: Other diseases

Hyperthyroidism and rhabdomyolysis can cause an increase in liver enzyme levels.

What are the characteristics of high liver enzyme levels?

Easily fatigued

Loss of appetite

.indigestion

Bloating and stomach pain

Abdominal bloating, usually accompanied by discomfort or mild pain in the upper right abdomen.

Nausea and vomiting

Lower body edema

Dull complexion and skin tone, even turning yellow.

Yellowing of the whites of the eyes and red veins in the eyes

Easily experiences dry mouth or muscle cramps.

Straight ridges on nails / Easily broken

Spider blood nevus

.jaundice

How can we prevent high liver enzyme levels in our daily lives?

1. Avoid smoking and alcohol: Ethanol produces acetaldehyde and acetic acid in the liver, both of which can damage the liver; nicotine entering the body can accelerate the damage to useful cells and increase the risk of hepatitis.
2. Control your weight: Avoid visceral fat accumulation or liver dysfunction.
3. A balanced diet: Consume a variety of nutrients in a balanced way, avoiding high-cholesterol, fried, and trans-fat-containing foods. A diet rich in vegetables and low in meat, using fresh ingredients and light cooking methods is recommended.
4. Eat regularly and in moderation: If you suddenly overeat in one or two meals, it will increase the burden on your liver.
5. Develop an exercise habit: Improve metabolism and liver function, and burn more calories.
6. Do not take medications or supplements indiscriminately: accidentally consuming foods or drinks that are incompatible with the properties of the medication can not only affect how the medication works in the body, but also increase the burden on the liver.

In addition, regular liver function tests can help understand liver health through liver enzyme levels; if abnormal liver function is found, treatment can be received early, improving the cure rate.