A gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) test helps diagnose liver disease. GGT is an enzyme in the liver that helps it work effectively. A person may need to avoid all eating and drinking for 8 hours before the test, as well as avoid drinking alcohol and taking some prescription medications.
The researchers also found that even a single episode of binge drinking elevated the levels of the liver enzyme CYP2E1, which metabolizes alcohol into toxic by-products that can cause oxidative damage and other forms of tissue injury.
It's also recommended that you avoid alcohol for 24 hours before your test, as well as any strenuous exercise.
Levels typically rise after heavy alcohol intake that has continued for several weeks (Allen et al. 1994). With 2–6 weeks of abstinence, levels generally decrease to within the normal reference range, with the half–life of GGT being 14–26 days. Laboratory tests for evaluating GGT are inexpensive and readily available.
This study demonstrates that even very modest levels of alcohol intake can significantly affect liver enzymes and the most sensitive measure of alcohol intake is the enzyme GGT which is potentiated by alcohol intake as low as 7–14 g/day.
Blood: Alcohol is eliminated from the bloodstream at about 0.015 per hour. Alcohol can show up in a blood test for up to 12 hours. Urine: Alcohol can be detected in urine for up 3 to 5 days via the ethyl glucuronide (EtG) test or 10 to 12 hours via the traditional method.
Sometimes, factors such as hormonal changes or reactions to medications can cause temporarily elevated liver enzyme levels. Elevated levels caused by these factors will generally return to normal in about 2 to 4 weeks without treatment.
The most common causes of elevated ALT levels in subjects undergoing health screening exams are alcohol intake, viral hepatitis, and NAFLD [18].
The increased activity of alcohol metabolizing enzymes make it harder for your liver to metabolize fat, which therefore begins to accumulate. When you quit drinking, those enzymes return to normal levels, allowing your liver to metabolize fat normally and the condition resolves.
Alcohol is one of the factors most frequently associated with increased liver enzyme and the association between alcohol intake and alcohol-induced liver disease is well known.
Symptoms may include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, and jaundice. Liver enzymes are typically elevated, and tests of liver function may be abnormal. Up to 35% of heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis, and of these 55% already have cirrhosis. AH can be mild or severe.
Elevated liver enzymes often indicate inflammation or damage to cells in the liver. Inflamed or injured liver cells leak higher than normal amounts of certain chemicals, including liver enzymes, into the bloodstream, elevating liver enzymes on blood tests.
Liver diseases, medical conditions, medications and infections can cause elevated liver enzymes. Common causes for elevated liver enzymes include: Certain medications, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins) and acetaminophen. Fatty liver disease, including alcohol-related and non-alcohol-related conditions.
Increasing fiber intake, reducing saturated fats and processed foods, as well as consuming a range of nutrients from fruits and vegetables may all help to lower levels. People can see their doctor for an ALT test if they notice any symptoms of liver damage to check whether their ALT levels are within the normal range.
In typical viral or toxic liver injury, the serum ALT level rises more than the AST value, reflecting the relative amounts of these enzymes in hepatocytes. However, in alcoholic hepatitis, the ratio of AST to ALT is greater than 1 in 90 percent of patients and is usually greater than 2.
In summary, we observed higher values of liver enzymes during the day than at night and a peak time in the afternoon.
Stress and anxiety are proven to contribute to high liver enzyme levels since they can reduce blood flow to the liver. Stress is also connected to high cortisol levels, which, in turn, is connected to liver damage.
What ALT level is considered high? The upper limit of normal for ALT is 55 IU/L. When an ALT level is double to triple the upper limit of normal, it is considered mildly elevated. Severely elevated ALT levels found in liver disease are often 50 times the upper limit of normal.
In conclusion, hepatic enzymes can be temporary elevated in patients with uncomplicated acute AGE with severe dehydration.
Of the three enzymes, GGT is the best indicator of excessive alcohol consumption, but GGT is present in many organs and is increased by other drugs as well, so high GGT levels do not necessarily mean the patient is abusing alcohol.