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Hi, I Recently Had My Labs Done. Everything Is Perfect
Question: Hi, I recently had my labs done. Everything is perfect (weight, BP, cholesterol, bilirubin, etc) except slightly elevated liver enzymes. I am a male, 5'10 - 180 lbs. My AST was fine but ALT and GGT was a little high. They ran an abdomen scan and it said the echogenic liver is consistent with fatty infiltration. The report does not say what % of fat or how severe it is. It also says no acute process on right upper quadrant. I am pretty healthy. I am a parent w/ 2 kids so I am not living a crazy lifestyle of partying. I do have 2-4 drinks 5/6 times a week as I cook dinner or relax after a long day. I prob need to cut that back. I get it. But if I have a fatty liver (real talk here!), do I need to stop drinking? Or can someone drink with moderation? And how long (generally) can it take to reverse a fatty liver if you moderate or abstain?
Brief Answer:
Part of the aging process dear.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear and thanks for the query,
I've seen your query and answers are,
The first thing is Moderate drinking sits at the point at which the health benefits of alcohol clearly outweigh the risks. The latest consensus places this point at no more than 1-2 drinks a day for men.
Secondly, when a person is usually in 20's face has no wrinkles and body is usually thin but as the body ages face starts having wrinkles and usually, the body gains fat. So in layman's language, not only external but internal organs also start to gain fat as the body ages.
So fatty liver mild to moderate is normal after the age of 30.
If nothing is mentioned in the report it means by default that changes are mild.
As far as liver enzymes are concerned; a Minimum of three times the upper normal limit of an enzyme is concerned significant. So don't go by numbers your LFT is also normal.
Some general points-
1)Yes you can drink in moderation.
2)No amount of precautions can revert back the normal aging process of the body. Your changes are a part of normal aging.
3)Take an antioxidant like Milk of thistle daily.
Rest assured you seem to be ok.
Thank you
Part of the aging process dear.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear and thanks for the query,
I've seen your query and answers are,
The first thing is Moderate drinking sits at the point at which the health benefits of alcohol clearly outweigh the risks. The latest consensus places this point at no more than 1-2 drinks a day for men.
Secondly, when a person is usually in 20's face has no wrinkles and body is usually thin but as the body ages face starts having wrinkles and usually, the body gains fat. So in layman's language, not only external but internal organs also start to gain fat as the body ages.
So fatty liver mild to moderate is normal after the age of 30.
If nothing is mentioned in the report it means by default that changes are mild.
As far as liver enzymes are concerned; a Minimum of three times the upper normal limit of an enzyme is concerned significant. So don't go by numbers your LFT is also normal.
Some general points-
1)Yes you can drink in moderation.
2)No amount of precautions can revert back the normal aging process of the body. Your changes are a part of normal aging.
3)Take an antioxidant like Milk of thistle daily.
Rest assured you seem to be ok.
Thank you
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
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