I M Wondering How Food And Drinks Affect A Liver

Posted on Fri, 26 Jul 2019

Question: I'm wondering how food and drinks affect a liver enzyme test. Specifically, I was worried about liver enzymes levels because liver problems can be associated with a medicine I'm on (Wellbutrin). However, I didn't fast for my test. I had coffee earlier in the day and a full breakfast. All the results came back normal though (ALT was 40 U/L, AST was 23 U/T, AG ratio was 1.3, Albumin was 4.3 g/dl). Could food and coffee inaccurately make liver tests look normal when there actually is a problem, or is that very unlikely? Are these results good enough to use and conclude that my liver enzymes are OK? I feel healthy but just tend to be a worrier.

Answered by Dr. Ramesh Kumar (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Perfectly normal liver.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for choosing "Ask a Doctor" service for your query,
Have seen your details my dear patient.
LFT is done empty stomach because when ever you eat something to digest it liver starts secreting enzymes therefore the enzyme levels may be elevated falsely hence patient is asked to come after overnight fasting.However in your case even after taking cofee etc liver enzymes are normal which means that there is no need to repeat it.Theoretically food intake in any form would increase liver enzymes(can never decrease) and your enzymes are normal even after having light snacks so clinically the test is accurate.
Your results are perfectly normal and you need not to worry at all.Book is very different from clinicals.So don't worry for any clinical diagnosis your liver is perfectly fine.
Hope I was easy to understand.
Follow ups are welcome.
Enjoy life.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T