title: Elevated alanine aminotransferase is associated with metabolic syndrome but not consistently associated with impaired fasting glucose or type 2 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Abnormally elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of nonspecific causes is a common outpatient problem. Without considering ethnicity, several studies had suggested that it was associated with insulin resistance (IR).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether nonspecific elevated ALT in Taiwanese population could reflect a likely underlying IR and was associated with impaired fasting glucose or type 2 diabetes mellitus (IFG/T2DM).
  
  
  METHODS
  The health examination profiles of 1313 Taiwanese were investigated cross-sectionally. The prevalence and odds ratios (ORs) for IFG/T2DM and metabolic abnormalities in relation to elevated ALT were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects with metabolic syndrome (MS) all had IFG/T2DM. The elevated ALT significantly correlated with MS and IFG/T2DM (i.e., 19.9-29.2% vs. 7.8% for MS, and 27.0-31.5% vs. 16.1% for IFG/T2DM). However, after excluding MS and adjustment for age and sex, the elevated ALT alone was not consistently associated with IFG/T2DM (36 < ALT ≤ 80 IU/L with OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.58-1.61; 80 < ALT ≤ 120 IU/L with OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.13-2.37; none with ALT > 120 had IFG).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a cross-sectional analysis of Taiwanese industrial employees, elevated ALT associated with MS, but in subjects who did not meet MS criteria, elevated ALT by itself did not associate with IFG/T2DM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Chiayi, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chen-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yueh
authors.forename: Jung-Hsiang
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Li-Wen
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Cheng-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Bhavin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Parekh
authors.forename: Ching-Chi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000201:enzymology*; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000201:enzymology*; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D000410:Alanine Transaminase