title: Multiple health behaviors and serum hepatic enzymes among US adults with obesity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was to examine the cumulative number and clustering patterns of low-risk health behaviors (i.e., not currently smoking, not excessive drinking, and physically active) associated with elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) among adults with obesity in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  We estimated the age-adjusted prevalence of elevated ALT, AST, and GGT from 4547 adults with obesity aged ≥ 20 years who participated in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The associations between the cumulative number or clustering patterns of low-risk health behaviors and measures of serum ALT, AST, and GGT were assessed using multivariate regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adult men who reported having three low-risk health behaviors were 62%, 39%, and 48% less likely to have elevated serum ALT, AST, and GGT, respectively; adult women were 56% and 73% less likely to have elevated serum AST and GGT, respectively, when compared to their respective counterparts who reported having none of the low-risk health behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study indicate that, among adults with obesity, having multiple low-risk health behaviors is associated with decreased likelihoods of elevated hepatic enzymes, including ALT in men, AST and GGT in both men and women.
authors: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. jxt9@cdc.gov
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Tsai
authors: Earl S
authors: ES
authors: Ford
authors: Guixiang
authors: G
authors: Zhao
authors: Janet B
authors: JB
authors: Croft
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology*; D057566:Self Report; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase