LiverReported in U/LAlanine aminotransferase (ALT)
An enzyme concentrated in liver cells. A rise is the clearest routine blood clue that liver cells are irritated.
What it measures
ALT lives mostly in hepatocytes. When those cells are injured, ALT leaks into the blood. It is more liver-specific than AST. The adult interval on this panel runs up to 52 U/L. Many people with fatty liver sit mildly above that for years. The height of the rise is a rough guide to how much injury is happening right now, not to how much scar is already there.
Why it is on the panel
Fatty liver, alcohol, viral hepatitis, and medicines are common, and ALT is how they announce themselves on a chemistry panel. A normal ALT does not prove the liver is free of fat or scar. It does make active injury less likely.
How to read it
Read ALT with AST. In many fatty-liver and viral patterns, ALT is higher than AST. In alcohol-related injury, AST is often higher than ALT, sometimes about twice as high. Then look at ALP and bilirubin to see whether bile flow is involved. Compare with your last ALT if you have one. The trend is the result.
When it runs higher
Metabolic fatty liver, alcohol, hepatitis viruses, celiac disease, and many medicines and supplements raise ALT. Muscle injury does so less often. Acetaminophen in high doses is the famous one. A result many times the interval, or any rise with jaundice, needs prompt clinical care.
When it runs lower
A low ALT is not a disease marker. People with less liver-cell turnover simply sit low in the interval. Vitamin B6 deficiency can lower the measured activity. It is not a finding to chase on its own.
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.
Alanine aminotransferase
Alanine aminotransferase is part of the full panel.
No referral or insurance required.
One preventive draw covers this measurement and the rest of the Healiam panel. CLIA-certified results come back in days.