LiverReported in U/LAlkaline phosphatase (ALP)
An enzyme from bile duct lining and from bone. It rises when bile flow is blocked and when bone is more active.
What it measures
Alkaline phosphatase sits in the membranes of cells in bile canaliculi and in bone-building osteoblasts. Growing bones are why children and teens run much higher than adults. In adults, a rise is either cholestasis — bile not flowing freely — or increased bone turnover. The adult interval on this panel is about 34–104 U/L.
Why it is on the panel
It is the enzyme that points at bile ducts and bone, while ALT points at liver cells. That split is the backbone of reading a liver panel. A high ALP with a high bilirubin is a bile-flow story. A high ALP with normal bilirubin and normal ALT may be bone.
How to read it
Compare ALP with ALT, AST, and both bilirubins. ALP up, ALT and AST up, bilirubin up: liver and bile ducts need attention. ALP up alone: bone, pregnancy, or a milder bile issue. GGT is not on this panel. When ALP is isolated and the question is bone versus liver, a clinician may add it.
When it runs higher
Bile duct blockage, cholestatic drug reactions, infiltrative liver disease, Paget disease of bone, healing fractures, and vitamin D deficiency with high bone turnover can raise ALP. Pregnancy raises a placental form. Adults over the interval deserve a pattern check against the rest of this group.
When it runs lower
A low ALP is easy to miss and occasionally important. Zinc deficiency, hypothyroidism, and rare genetic conditions can lower it. An isolated result just under the interval is usually watched rather than worked up.
How to use this page
This page explains what the measurement is for. It is educational. Your Healiam report includes the reference interval for your age and sex, and a clinician reads that result with your history, medicines, and the rest of the panel. Talk with a clinician before changing diet, supplements, or treatment because of a number on a report.
Alkaline phosphatase
Alkaline phosphatase is part of the full panel.
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One preventive draw covers this measurement and the rest of the Healiam panel. CLIA-certified results come back in days.