AST, ALT, and GGT levels? Need help interpreting these.

Let’s break this down
The first one sounds like some political party... the second is just a keyboard smash... and the third feels like some heavy-duty diesel engine!
Whatever, it's all a joke. I read through everything everyone posted... but I wanted to ask if anyone actually knows this:
- So, I had some bloodwork done the other day and the results were more or less like this—everything looks fine except, obviously, my cholesterol, which is sitting at 6.2. Though, I guess I'm a little worried because a couple of years ago the upper limit was 6, and then those big pharma companies probably lobbied to drop it to 5 just so they could push more meds. Anyway, my triglycerides are 2.9 (they should be under 1.9), and then there's the liver enzymes. Out of the three, my AST and GGT are totally normal—right in the middle of the range—but my ALT is 51, when it’s supposed to be under 44.
So now I’m asking you guys... students, ceramicists, auto painters... doctors... even the experts... does this ALT increase (if it's even high, I don't really know) have anything to do with the fact that I have way too much fat clogging up my veins?
And one more thing—should I expect my doctor to tell me, YOU NEED TO GO ON A DIET?
In case age matters, I'm exactly 30.
Oh, and another thing... I've been digging around online and I see the upper limit for ALT is listed as 48 in some places... and 44 in others... why can't they ever agree on something?

🙂 🙂

Peter Thomas23 said:Let’s break this down step by step.
The first one sounds like some political party... the second one is just a keyboard key... and the third one sounds like a beat-up diesel truck!
Just kidding, obviously... I actually read everything you guys posted... but while I'm at it, I have a few questions if anyone out there knows the deal:
- So, I went in for bloodwork the other day and the results came back more or less like this: everything looks fine except, of course, my cholesterol, which is sitting at 6.2 (though I'm suspicious because two years ago the upper limit was 6, and I'm convinced those big pharma companies lobbied to drop it to 5 just so they could push more pills on us)... naturally, my triglycerides are at 2.9 (when they really should be under 1.9), and then we get to the liver enzymes. Out of the three, my AST and GGT are totally normal—right in the middle of the healthy range—but my ALT is 51, whereas "normal" is supposed to be anything under 44.
So now I’m asking all you students, ceramicists, auto painters, doctors, and experts... does this slight bump in ALT (if you can even call it high) have anything to do with the fact that I've got way too much fat clogging up my veins?
And one more thing—should I expect my doctor to look me in the eye and say, "YOU NEED TO GO ON A DIET"?
In case age matters, I'm exactly 30.
Oh, and another thing... I'm scrolling through the internet and I see the upper limit for ALT listed as 48 in some places and 44 in others... why can't they ever agree on anything?

Were you taking any medications? And yeah, you definitely need to go on a diet, you know that already. 🙂

Everything you tu say looks pretty good 😉

So, I wanted to let the group know that I finally went to see my doctor with those blood test results. Honestly, the second I sat down... it was the same old story. Same thing every single time. I asked her if things were really as bad as everyone makes them out to be, you know? She just looked at me and said, "Look, you're eating like there's no tomorrow, and if you keep this up, you're going to have real problems." I was like, okay, is it actually that critical? She told me it wasn't an emergency yet, but if I thought it was fine, I was dead wrong. Apparently, my triglycerides are through the roof, which basically means my liver can't keep up with everything I'm shoving down my throat, so now my liver enzymes are spiked too. It’s not even a close call—the limit is 44, and I’m sitting at 51. So, she basically banned me from eating anything I've enjoyed for the last decade for the next three months. Dammit. She also mentioned that some people have cholesterol levels as high as 12, so I guess I'm not totally bottoming out here. Still, I suppose it’s worth getting blood work done at least once a year. I used to just go every couple of years, but I guess I'll stick to annually from now on.
And here’s the kicker... she says if I actually start eating healthy, everything will go back to normal. Yeah, right. That would probably mean dropping about 45 pounds first. Whatever. I guess I've got plenty of work to do before next summer.
Just figured I'd share so maybe someone else finds this useful.

Peter Thomas23 said:So, I decided to take my blood work results down to the doctor, and let me tell you—the second I sat down in that chair, I knew exactly what was coming. It’s always the same story with her. She doesn't mince words, either. She looks me straight in the eye and tells me, "You're eating like there's no tomorrow." And when I asked if things were actually as dire as she was making them sound? She basically told me that while it isn't an immediate crisis, if she told me everything was fine, I’d just go right back to my old habits anyway. The breakdown is simple: my triglycerides are through the roof, which basically means my liver can't process the junk I'm shoving into it, and as a result, my liver enzymes are spiked. My reading hit 51, even though the limit is supposed to be 48. So, she’s officially put me on a three-month ban from pretty much everything I actually enjoy eating. Dammit. She also dropped a bit of perspective, mentioning that there are people out there walking around with cholesterol levels at 12, so apparently, I'm not the worst case scenario. Still, the lesson learned is this: it's worth getting your blood checked at least once a year. Up until now, I was lazy and only went every two years, but from here on out, I'm doing it annually. No excuses.
And here’s the kicker... they tell me if I just stick to a healthy diet, everything will go back to being "normal." Yeah, right. As if losing another 45 pounds is just going to happen overnight. Honestly, screw that. I’ve got plenty of work to do before next summer rolls around.
Just figured I’d throw this out there—might be useful for someone.

Get over to the UN diet forum. We’ve all been there, getting our liver enzymes checked constantly because of it.👍

Peter Thomas23 said:Let’s break this down.
That first one sounds like some political party... the second sounds like someone typing on a keyboard... and the third feels like a beat-up diesel engine from an old Chevy!
Just kidding... I read everything you guys posted about which option is best... but while I have you, does anyone actually know the answer to this:
- So, I had some blood work done the other day and here’s the gist—everything looks fine except for my cholesterol, which is sitting at 6.2. Honestly, I’m suspicious because if I remember correctly, two years ago the upper limit was 6, but then Big Pharma probably lobbied to drop it to 5 just so they could push more pills on us. Then, naturally, my triglycerides are at 2.9 (when they really should be under 1.9), and looking at my liver enzymes, two out of the three—AST and GGT—are totally normal (right in the middle of the range). But my ALT is at 51, even though "normal" is supposedly anything under 44.
So now I’m asking you guys—students, ceramicists, auto painters, doctors... even the college dropouts... does this slight bump in ALT have anything to do with the fact that I have too much fat clogging up my veins?
And another thing—should I prepare myself for my doctor to give me the whole "YOU NEED TO GO ON A DIET" speech?
If age matters, I just turned 30.
One more thing... I’ve been digging around online and can't get a straight answer. Some places say the upper limit for ALT is 48... others say 44... why can't they just agree?

Have you been taking any antibiotics or other meds lately?
Are you drinking a lot of soda?