What Are Liver Enzymes?

What are liver enzymes?

Enzymes are proteins in our body that are responsible for accelerating certain chemical reactions. Liver enzymes are produced by the liver and carry out this job in the liver. When it comes to liver health, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) are considered the most common liver enzymes. Liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) particularly are the most crucial liver enzymes used to identify an underlying liver disease.

Normally, liver enzymes stay within the liver and muscle cells, but when liver cells are damaged, ALT and AST get released into the bloodstream elevating liver enzyme levels in the blood and thereby alarming the body about a health problem.

What causes elevated liver enzymes?

Elevated liver enzymes can often be an indicator of an underlying medical condition such as liver disease, heart failure, celiac disease, mononucleosis, polymyositis. Alcohol consumption, use of certain medications, exposure to toxic substances, diabetes, and obesity can also cause liver enzymes to elevate.

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How to measure the liver enzyme levels?

The liver function test is one of the most common blood tests used to measure the levels of different types of enzymes and proteins in the blood. This test can help to assess the state of one´s liver health, identify a liver disease, monitor the success of liver disease treatment, or keep an eye on the side effects of certain medications. Alongside liver enzymes AST and ALT, a liver function test can also measure the levels of bilirubin, total protein, albumin, prothrombin time (PT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LD) in the blood.

If your liver function test has shown any abnormalities in protein and enzyme levels, please talk to your physician to identify the underlying causes. Elevated liver enzymes can be temporary, but it is important to understand what causes them to rise to avoid further health complications and catch any medical conditions as early as possible.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the following results of a liver function test are considered within a healthy range:

• ALT: 7 to 55 units per liter (U/L)
• AST: 8 to 48 U/L
• ALP: 40 to 129 U/L
• Albumin: 3.5 to 5.0 grams per deciliter (g/dL)
• Total protein: 6.3 to 7.9 g/dL
• Bilirubin: 0.1 to 1.2 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
• GGT: 8 to 61 U/L
• Lactate dehydrogenase (LD): 122 to 222 U/L
• Prothrombin time (PT): 9.4 to 12.5 seconds