Impacts of common factors of life style on serum liver enzymes

• Published in: World journal of gastroenterology : WJG 2014-09, Vol.20 (33), p.11743-11752
• Main Authors: Danielsson, Joanna, Kangastupa, Päivikki, Laatikainen, Tiina, Aalto, Mauri, Niemelä, Onni
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Aging; Alanine Transaminase - blood; Alcohol; Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects; Biomarkers - blood; Clinical Enzyme Tests; Coffee - adverse effects; Cross-Sectional Studies; en-zymes; Female; Finland - epidemiology; gamma-Glutamyltransferase - blood; Health Care Surveys; Humans; Life Style; Liver; Liver - enzymology; Liver Diseases - blood; Liver Diseases - diagnosis; Liver Diseases - epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Obesity; Original; Overweight - diagnosis; Overweight - epidemiology; Oxida; Predictive Value of Tests; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Smoking; Smoking - adverse effects
• ISSN: 1007-9327; 2219-2840
• DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i33.11743

AIM: To investigate the impacts of gender, age and factors of life style(alcohol, overweight, coffee and smoking) on serum liver enzymes.METHODS: Serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and gamma-glutamyltransferase(GGT) were measured from 6269 apparently healthy individuals(2851 men, 3418 women, mean age 45 ± 12 years, range 25-74 years) in a national cross-sectional health survey. All subjects underwent detailed clinical examinations and interviews including the amount and pattern of alcoholuse, coffee consumption and smoking habits. RESULTS: In this population with a mean ± SD alcohol consumption of 65 ± 105 g/wk and body mass index(BMI) of 26.1 ± 4.3 kg/m2, both ALT and GGT were significantly influenced by alcohol use(P < 0.001) and BMI(P < 0.001), whereas smoking increased only GGT(P < 0.001). A significant effect of age on ALT was seen in men(P < 0.001) whereas not in women. Significant two-factor interactions of alcohol use in men were observed with age(ALT: P < 0.01; GGT: P < 0.001) and BMI(GGT: P < 0.05). For ALT, a significant interaction also occurred between BMI and age(P < 0.005). In contrast, women showed significant interactions of alcohol use with BMI(GGT: P < 0.05), smoking(GGT: P < 0.001), and coffee consumption(GGT: P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Life-style associated changes in liver enzymes may reflect health risks, which should be considered in the definition of normal limits for liver enzymes.