Liver function tests and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease: Changes in upper normal limits, does it really matter?

Table 1 Anthropometric and clinical characteristics of the whole population, stratified into three groups according to alanine aminotransferase levels

Variable	ALT lower than the low cut-off (n = 33)	ALT within the conventional and the low cut-off (n = 73)	ALT higher than the conventional cut-off (n = 330)	P value
Age (yr)	52 ± 13.3	52.1 ± 12.1	52.5 ± 13.1	0.52
BMI (kg/m2)	29.9 ± 4.2	30 ± 5.5	29.3 ± 4.5	0.23
T-Cholesterol (mmol/L)	4.2 ± 1.4	4.4 ± 1	4.7 ± 2	0.3
HDL (mmol/L)	1 ± 0.3	1.1 ± 0.3	1 ± 0.8	0.81
LDL (mmol/L)	2.4 ± 1.1	2.5 ± 0.9	2.6 ± 1	0.27
Triglycerides (mmol/L)	1.9 ± 1	1.6 ± 0.9	1.7 ± 1.4	0.28
HbA1c (mmol/L)	41 ± 21	42 ± 16	45 ± 15.8	0.75
AST (IU/L)	25 ± 8	31 ± 7.7	51 ± 37	< 0.00011
γGT (IU/L)	32 ± 41	38 ± 62	81 ± 76	0.0081
Platelet (109 /L)	208 ± 70	225 ± 72	229 ± 72	0.39
Albumin (g/L)	40 ± 6.1	41 ± 3.4	41 ± 3.2	0.62
Ferritin (µg/L)	58 ± 145	104 ± 150	163 ± 120	0.13
Male gender	21 (65)	52 (62)	207 (63)	0.13
Diabetes Mellitus	19 (58)	46 (55)	161 (49)	0.12
Ethnicity
Caucasian	17 (5)	35 (48)	163 (49)	0.79
Arab	8 (24)	11 (15)	66 (20)	0.31
Hispanic and Latinos	2 (6)	5 (6)	20 (7)	0.99
South Asian	4 (12)	11 (15)	41 (12)	0.95
East Asian	1 (3)	6 (6)	25 (7)	0.26
African/Afrocaribbean	1 (3)	5 (6)	15 (4)	0.73
Hypertension	15 (45)	33 (39)	112 (34)	0.2
Dyslipidemia	13 (39)	37 (44)	141 (43)	0.93
Statin treatment	14 (42)	34 (46)	152 (46)	0.54

¹Significantly different. Data present as mean ± SD or n (%). ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; BMI: Body mass index; HDL: High-density lipoprotein; LDL: Low-density lipoprotein; HbA1c: Hemoglobin A1C; AST: Aspartate aminotransferase.