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Have Normal Alt, Bun And Cholesterol Level. Worried For Elevated Ast Level
Question: I had a screening done and I had an eleveated AST, my ALT was fine, my BUN was fine, my chlorestoral levels were fine as well I do not drink and I was at the gym that day before the test and I had an energy drink. I am concerned my AST was an 84
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There are different types of liver enzymes which can provide varied information. The main types are AST, ALT, GGT. Protein levels and bilirubin are also used in some persons to assess the function of the liver.
AST provides information mainly on the tissues of the liver whereas ALP looks at the passages within the liver, though there could be some overlap.Though AST is present in the liver, it is also found in red blood cells, muscle and in the heart, this is the reason it was used to determine if a person was having a heart attack.
The normal level of AST is quoted as between 5 to 40, though there may be some variation from lab to lab.
An increase in AST may be due to injury to the liver as a result of : medication, infections of the liver, trauma, fatty liver which is the build up of fat in the liver which can occur with a high carbohydrate diet or due to alcohol use.
The increase may be due to non alcoholic fatty liver which is actually the most common cause at present. You may want to consider repeating it to ensure that the level is correct.
If you and your doctor believe that it is related to fatty liver then a change in diet would result in improvent.
This would involve reducing carbohydrate use (carbohydrates cause insulin to be released and insulin stops fat from breaking down). Carbohydrates are found in rice/pasta/bread/biscuits/some breakfast cereals/roti/other flour products/potatoes/sodas/fruit drinks.
Use high fiber foods such as fruits and vegetables.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
There are different types of liver enzymes which can provide varied information. The main types are AST, ALT, GGT. Protein levels and bilirubin are also used in some persons to assess the function of the liver.
AST provides information mainly on the tissues of the liver whereas ALP looks at the passages within the liver, though there could be some overlap.Though AST is present in the liver, it is also found in red blood cells, muscle and in the heart, this is the reason it was used to determine if a person was having a heart attack.
The normal level of AST is quoted as between 5 to 40, though there may be some variation from lab to lab.
An increase in AST may be due to injury to the liver as a result of : medication, infections of the liver, trauma, fatty liver which is the build up of fat in the liver which can occur with a high carbohydrate diet or due to alcohol use.
The increase may be due to non alcoholic fatty liver which is actually the most common cause at present. You may want to consider repeating it to ensure that the level is correct.
If you and your doctor believe that it is related to fatty liver then a change in diet would result in improvent.
This would involve reducing carbohydrate use (carbohydrates cause insulin to be released and insulin stops fat from breaking down). Carbohydrates are found in rice/pasta/bread/biscuits/some breakfast cereals/roti/other flour products/potatoes/sodas/fruit drinks.
Use high fiber foods such as fruits and vegetables.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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