ArticlePloS one2017
Where should the safe limits of alcohol consumption stand in light of liver enzyme abnormalities in alcohol consumers?
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- A Hidden Indicator of Cardiovascular Health: Serum Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase in Focus.Journal of cardiovascular translational research · 2026Review
- Assessment of skeletal muscle alterations and circulating myokines in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: A cross-sectional study.World journal of gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Effects of voluntarily consumed sweetened alcohol and naringin on cardiac function in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats.Physiological reports · 2024Article
- Association of Left Atrial Stiffness With Risk of Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults.JACC. Advances · 2024Article
- The Impact of Alcohol Consumption Pattern on Liver Fibrosis in Asymptomatic Patients.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Associations between Liver Enzymes, Lifestyle Risk Factors and Pre-Existing Medical Conditions in a Population-Based Cross-Sectional Sample.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Impact of Physical Activity on the Characteristics and Metabolic Consequences of Alcohol Consumption: A Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Alcohol Drinking Patterns and Laboratory Indices of Health: Does Type of Alcohol Preferred Make a Difference?Nutrients · 2022Article
- Cerebrospinal fluid levels of proenkephalin and prodynorphin are differentially altered in Huntington's and Parkinson's disease.Journal of neurology · 2022Article
- Alcohol Consumption and Its Influence on the Clinical Picture of Puumala Hantavirus Infection.Viruses · 2022Article
- Endothelial Dysfunction is Associated With Early-Onset Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke in Men and With Increasing Age.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2021Article
- Effects of Smoking, and Drinking on Serum Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase Levels Using Physical Examination Data: A Cross-Sectional Study in Northwest China.International journal of general medicine · 2021Article
- Combined effects of lifestyle risk factors on fatty liver index.BMC gastroenterology · 2020Article
- Biomarker and Genomic Risk Factors for Liver Function Test Abnormality in Hazardous Drinkers.Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research · 2019Article
- Impacts of unfavourable lifestyle factors on biomarkers of liver function, inflammation and lipid status.PloS one · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo estimate the prevalence and risk factors for abnormal liver enzymes in a large age- and gender stratified population-based sample of apparently healthy individuals with or without alcohol consumption and other health-related risk factors (adiposity, physical inactivity, smoking).
methodsData on alcohol use, smoking, diet and physical activity were recorded using structured questionnaires from 13,976 subjects (6513 men, 7463 women, aged 25-74 years) in the national FINRISK studies. Alcohol data was used to categorize the participants into abstainers, light drinkers, moderate drinkers and heavy drinkers. Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities were measured using standard kinetic methods.
resultsMale light drinkers, moderate drinkers and heavy drinkers showed significantly higher relative risks of abnormal GGT than abstainers: 1.37 (95% confidence interval 1.11 to 1.71, p < 0.01), 2.72 (2.08 to 3.56, p < 0.0005), and 6.10 (4.55 to 7.17, p < 0.0005), respectively. Corresponding values for women were 1.22 (0.99 to 1.51, p = 0.065), 1.90 (1.44 to 2.51, p < 0.0005), and 5.91 (3.80 to 9.17, p < 0.0005). Estimated threshold doses for a significant GGT elevation was 14 standard weekly alcohol doses for men and 7 for women. Excess body weight and age over 40 years modulated the thresholds towards smaller quantities of alcohol. The risk of abnormal GGT was also significantly influenced by physical inactivity and smoking. The relative risks of abnormal ALT activities were increased in male heavy drinkers, especially in those presenting with adiposity and sedentary lifestyle.
conclusionsAlcohol use markedly increases the risk for abnormal liver enzyme activities in those presenting with age over 40 years, obesity, smoking or sedentary lifestyle. The data should be considered in public health recommendations and in the definitions of safe limits of alcohol use.
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