Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is an enzyme that is mostly found in the liver, but low levels are also found in the kidneys, heart, muscles, and pancreas. An elevated alt=""Image" level can be indicative of a serious health problem, particularly health problems related to the liver. To lower your ALT level, you should focus on improving your overall liver health and also work with your doctor to find out why your alt=" "Image" level is so high.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Part One: Diet
Step 1. Minimize alcohol consumption
Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the most common causes of liver damage, and even moderate amounts can damage liver cells over time.
Moderate alcohol consumption was defined as one drink per day for women and two drinks for men. Stay under this limit to improve liver health and improve your alt=""Image" level. If you already have some form of liver disease, you should give up alcohol completely.</h3" />
Step 2. Drink more coffee
Surprisingly enough, new research shows that drinking a cup of coffee every day can help lower the risk of liver disease. Since alt=""Image" levels and liver damage are closely related, drinking coffee can also have a positive effect on ALT levels.
- Note that this research is fairly new, so the relationship between alt=""Image" and coffee is uncertain.</li" />
- Green tea can also improve liver health. Green tea contains plant antioxidants called "catechins," which are believed to improve various bodily functions, including liver function.
Step 3. Eat organic food
If your alt=""Image" level is very high, consider switching to an organic diet. Most people can tolerate chemical additives in food, but for those with high alt=" "Image" levels and liver damage, these chemicals will only make the situation worse.
- The liver filters toxins out of the body, but when you have to filter out too many toxins, the liver weakens and reduces its capacity.
- By law, organic food is free from genetically modified organisms, synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, and similar drugs, so that organic food is easier for the body to process.
Step 4. Limit junk food
Most sugars and fats also depress the liver, so avoiding or limiting consumption of these foods can improve liver function and ALT levels.
In particular, reduce the amount of fructose and saturated fat you consume. Fructose is found in soda and fruit juices. Saturated fat is found in fried foods, fast food, and processed foods
Step 5. Eat more fruits and vegetables
Naturally, fruits and vegetables detoxify the body. This will reduce the stress on the liver, causing the liver to recover and the alt=""Image" level to decrease.
- Sulfur-rich vegetables such as onions and garlic are very beneficial.
- Cross-bred vegetables such as broccoli, kale, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower are also among the best vegetables for improving ALT levels.
- Other fruits and vegetables that have been linked to improved liver health include grapefruit, beets, green leafy vegetables, avocados, and lemons.
Step 6. Get more dietary fiber for your body
Fiber pushes toxins out of the digestive system more quickly so they don't spend a lot of time rotting in the liver.
- Most fruits and vegetables are good sources of fiber.
- Whole grains and seeds are also good sources of fiber. Flaxseeds are especially beneficial because they specifically bind to potentially harmful excess hormones and help flush them out of your system more effectively.
Step 7. Use dietary supplements with caution
Although some herbal remedies claim to restore liver health and improve ALT levels, there is very little research to support these claims. Some medications and herbal supplements can even harm the liver and worsen ALT levels.
- Talk to your doctor before taking any herbal medicine or combination of drugs.
- Herbs that have been linked to liver problems include cascara, chaparral, comfrey, kava kava, and ephedra.
- Milk thistle seed extract is one of the herbal supplements that is believed to improve liver health. Other supplements include fish oil, green tea extract, curcumin (naturally found in turmeric), alpha lipoic acid, and acetyl-L-carnitine.
Method 2 of 3: Part Two: Lifestyle
Step 1. Exercise regularly
Exercise improves overall health, so naturally cardiovascular/aerobic exercise can also improve liver health and your alt=""Image" level.
- Research shows that staying active for at least 150 minutes per week can improve liver enzymes like alt=""Image" in the average adult.</li" />
- Exercise can help you lose excess weight and limit the amount of fat that goes to your liver. Exercise can also cause sweating, which is part of the body's natural detox defenses.
Step 2. Lose weight, if necessary
Obesity can cause fat to infiltrate your liver cells, and when that happens, your liver can become inflamed.
The best way to lose weight is gradually through a healthy diet and regular exercise. Losing weight too quickly due to restrictive diets and radical procedures can actually cause stress to the body and organs, eventually causing more problems than ever before
Step 3. Quit smoking, if you are a smoker
The chemicals in cigarettes usually contain toxins that damage liver cells when your liver tries to filter them out. Quitting smoking will strengthen your liver and improve your alt=""Image" levels.
Similarly, you should avoid secondhand smoke, as you can inhale most of those harmful toxins and face the same threat
Step 4. Avoid chemical toxins in your environment
Many household chemicals also contain toxins that can harm your liver, so limiting your exposure to toxic chemicals can improve liver health and your alt=""Image" levels.
- These toxins can be found in most cleaning products, aerosol products, and insecticides.
- Replace chemical household products with natural products. If possible, use natural alternatives that are readily available in your home, such as using vinegar to bleach clothes instead of using bleach. There are also commercial products labeled "natural" that might be worth checking out.
Step 5. Purchase an air purifier
A small air purifier can help filter out air pollution in your home. By filtering toxins from the air you breathe, you limit the toxins that enter through the liver.
This tool is especially important if you live in a high-traffic area
Method 3 of 3: Part Three: Medical Problems
Step 1. Avoid drugs that have been linked to liver damage
Certain drugs and drug combinations can cause liver damage, especially if taken regularly over a long period of time. To improve ALT levels, stay away from drugs known to weaken the liver.
- Acetaminophen can be toxic to the liver when taken in excess. In addition to being marketed separately as a pain reliever, acetaminophen is also contained in many cold medications and prescription painkillers. Painkillers that also have similar consequences are aspirin, diclofenac, and naproxen.
- Cholesterol medications can also harm your liver, but you should talk to your doctor before stopping your prescribed cholesterol medication.
- Additional drugs that can cause an increase in alt=""Image" levels include antibiotics (sulfonamides, nitrofurantoin), tuberculosis drugs (isoniazid), antifungal drugs (fluconazole, itraconazole), seizure medications (phenytoin, carbamazepine), and tricyclic antidepressants. Statins, chemotherapy, narcotics, and barbiturates can also cause ALT levels to rise.</li" />
- If you are on medication, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any new medication to verify that interactions with medications you are currently taking do not harm your liver.
Step 2. Treat the cause of your health problem
A high alt=""Image" level in itself isn't necessarily dangerous, but it often indicates that something is wrong with your liver. In an attempt to lower alt=" "Image" levels in the long term, you will need to treat other diseases that can damage the liver.
- Hepatitis is the main cause of elevated ALT levels. These include acute viral hepatitis (A and B) and chronic viral hepatitis (B and C).
- Cirrhosis can also cause high ALT levels. This condition occurs when the liver undergoes scar tissue formation due to prolonged inflammation.
- Fatty liver disease can cause elevated ALT levels, particularly alcoholic fatty liver disease.
- Hemochromatosis has also been known to cause high alt=""Image" levels. This disease is a genetic condition caused by a buildup of iron in the liver.</li" />
- Lack of blood flow to the liver will also increase ALT levels. Usually, this condition occurs when you experience shock or heart failure.
- Other conditions that are associated with high levels of alt=""Image" but are less common include wild mushroom poisoning, Wilson's disease, liver cancer, autoimmune hepatitis, pregnancy, inflammatory bowel disease, gallstones, and deficiency.</li" />
Tips
- ALT helps the body process proteins in metabolism. Lever not working properly will release alt=""Image" into the blood. That's why a high alt=" "Image" level often indicates liver problems.</li" />
- The alt=""Image" level is monitored through a special blood test, and test results are usually available within 12 hours or so, depending on the medical facility in question.</li" />
- The normal alt=""Image" value for men is 10 to 40 units per liter or 0.17 to 0.68 microcat per liter. For women, the normal value is 7 to 35 units per liter or 0.12 to 0.60 microkat per liter.</li" />
Warning
- If your alt=""Image" level is high, you should talk to your doctor to determine the reason for the increase in level and what you need to do to lower it. The advice presented in this article is general in nature and is intended only as a starting point. Your specific health problem should be treated by a medical professional.</li" />
- An elevated alt=""Image" level often indicates liver damage or injury. Moderate elevations are usually an indication of liver injury, but levels that are 10 to 20 times higher than normal may indicate more severe liver damage.</li" />
