could hi liver enzymes be related to exercise program? - Liver & Pancreas Disorders Message Board

phovo · 02-28-2006, 10:53 AM

Hi. This is my first post here and I am so glad I found this board. I have a question for you all. Mid-October I joined Curves, the exercise place. I went for three days the first week. The day after exercizing I had bloodwork done. All was normal except for Cholesterol 238, AST 47, ALT 53 which were elevated. Three and a half months later (this Feb.) I repeated the blood test. This time Cholestrol 209, AST 70 and ALT 124. I have no pain or symptoms of anything liverish or gallbladderish. I have read up on this thanks so much to you all and this board.

I have continued with the Curves program faithfully. Could exercizing contribute to this rise in liver enzymes? This is the only thing different that I have done. I will see my physician next week about this. The blood tests that I have taken were the ones the hospital sponsors for "Good Health Week" and "Heart Healthy" for $30 and the results are sent to you. PS I had taken myself off of the tylenols, etc in October after the first round of results. Obviously that is not the case here. I am so worried. Your input please. Thank you, phovo

happyelf · 02-28-2006, 01:39 PM

Hi Phovo

Welcome to the boards! Yes-exercise can elevate your liver enzymes. It's very common. (more exercise, higher #'s) Since you've already eliminated acetaminophen and are exercising your way to a healthier you,(Congrats on that!!) it sounds like that's the culprit. Sometimes fatty liver is to blame. It's very common, most ppl have it at some point and don't even know it. It's not something you can *feel*, and you don't have to be overweight to have it. It is reversible with diet and exercise. High #'s are not always a bad thing--like in the case of exercise induced. High #'s are bad if there's no obvious reason for them to be elevated--like no exercise, no acet/meds at all, no recent weight loss(yep--that can do it too), no alcohol consumption or smoking...then the dr may want to investigate further w/an Ultrasound to see if there is fatty liver. (Hope that all made sense!! ) Try not to worry--stress elevates them too!! (easier said than done!!) Take your results w/you to the dr next week--don't be surprised if he wants to retest. Hang in there there--Good luck and let me know what he says! H/E

phovo · 03-01-2006, 10:38 AM

Thank you for responding.

I am so glad that someone is out there for us scardeycats. Could you please explain to me how does exercizing affect liver enzymes. I tried to look this up on the internet and could not find an explanantion. Thank you.

feelbad · 03-10-2006, 08:11 AM

Hey happyelf,just kinda curious reallyy,could excercise bring those numbers up THAT high?i do know that excercise can have an affect on one of the numbers(either the alt or ast,I cannot seem to recall which one it was)but i was under the impression that it would just be a pretty slight increase and only just one of those two.i know from reading your posts that you know wayy more about this than i do,just kinda curious.thanks,Marcia

ta921 · 03-13-2006, 04:08 PM

Both the ALT and the AST can rise after exercise. The ALT and the AST are not associated with the liver alone, they are also found in other tissues as well. Men will see a higher elevation than women and enzymes will increase more with strength training. They will also be more elevated if you exercise more strenuously than usual. Example: I was sedentary for a week and checked my ALT and my AST and they were 33 (0-55) and 26 (0-40) respectively. I went to the gym and threw a bunch of weights on the rack and performed long sets of squats using the biggest muscles in my body. The following day my ALT was 111 (0-55) and my AST was 169 (0-40) respectively. Also, as you can see from the numbers the AST is found more in the skeletal muscles than the ALT.