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Healthy Liver Levels

Doctors regularly measure the levels of liver enzymes and metabolism byproducts in patients' blood samples to check for the presence or progress of hepatitis or other liver diseases. Elevations or decreases in any liver enzymes or metabolism byproducts can signal a temporary or long-term problem. When patients do have levels outside the normal ranges, they need to speak with their doctor about what the levels indicate and what, if anything, they need to do.

  1. Transaminases

    • Transaminases, which are also known as aminotransferases, constitute the most numerous and most diverse group of enzymes produced by the liver. Most often referred to by health care providers and in medical charts by their acronyms of ALT, AST and GGT, these enzymes are, respectively, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase and gamma-glutamyltransferase. Elevations of ALT and AST levels can indicate hepatitis or liver disease. GGT elevations can indicate damage to the liver or the bile duct. The stomach requires bile to complete the digestion of food. Normal levels of transaminases are as follows, with U/L meaning units per liter: ALT: 7 to 56 U/L, AST: 5 to 35 U/L and GGT: 8 to 78 U/L.

    Alkaline Phosphate

    • Alkaline phosphate, or ALP, helps the body metabolize food and maintain a healthy amount of bone mass. Measuring ALP also allows health care providers to assess the flow of bile into the blood stream. Levels of ALP outside the range of 38 to 126 U/L can indicate liver disease.

    Proteins

    • The liver produces several proteins, and one, albumin, plays a key role in transporting medications, calcium and other nutrients and metabolites through the blood stream. Total protein levels below 6.0 to 8.3 grams per deciliter can indicate liver disease, as can albumin levels below 3.5 to 4.8 U/L.

    Bilirubin

    • The liver produces bilirubin when it breaks down old oxygen-carrying red blood cells known as hemoglobin. Excess bilirubin in the blood cell causes jaundice and can indicate liver damage or dysfunction. The normal range for bilirubin level in blood is 0.2 to 1.3 mg/dL.

    Prothrombin Time

    • As defined in a Medline Plus factsheet, "Prothrombin time (PT) is a blood test that measures the time it takes for the liquid portion (plasma) of your blood to clot." Blood clotting depends on a number of liver products, so PT gives a general picture of overall liver function. The optimal PT for someone not taking blood-thinning medications ranges between 11 seconds and 13.5 seconds.

    L-lactate Dehydrogenase

    • Produced in many parts of the body besides the liver, the enzyme L-lactate dehydrogenase helps the body produce and use lactic acid. Normal levels of L-lactate dehydrogenase are 42 to 178 UL, with men requiring slightly more of the enzyme than women. Excessive amounts of L-lactate dehydrogenase can indicate liver damage.

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