Estimating liver function changes in obese adults

Abstract

Background: Chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, a hallmark of obesity, may independently contribute to hepatic impairment via metabolic and inflammatory pathways. A thorough evaluation of hepatic function is crucial for the early detection and tracking of obesity-related liver problems because obese people are more vulnerable to liver impairment.

Aim of the study: By contrasting obese adults with normal-weight controls, this study examined the relationship between obesity and serum levels of important liver biomarkers, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP).

Materials and Methods: Eighty participants with obesity (BMI: 35–39.5 kg/m²) and twenty age-matched, healthy, normal-weight controls (BMI: 18–24.5 kg/m²) made up a total of one hundred persons between the ages of twenty and forty. As biochemical markers of hepatic function, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured. This allowed for the evaluation of changes in liver enzyme profiles associated with obesity.

Results:  The majority of obese groups had significantly higher serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) than normal-weight controls (P < 0.05). Additionally, across all age groups, obese subjects had significantly higher levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (P < 0.05). Significant positive correlations between obesity and serum hepatic enzyme concentrations were also found by correlation analysis, suggesting that changes in biochemical indicators of hepatic function are linked to increasing adiposity.

Conclusion: Elevated blood levels of ALT, AST, and ALP were substantially correlated with obesity, suggesting changes in hepatic function. These biomarkers might be helpful markers for the early identification and evaluation of liver damage associated with obesity.