If you are a moderate-to-heavy or binge drinker and have elevated AST levels in your blood, then cutting back or stopping alcohol consumption will likely lower your enzyme levels — it might take a couple of weeks or longer to see results on a blood test. Mild alcohol consumption (less than one drink daily) has been linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, but any ethanol consumption is at least a little injurious to liver and pancreas cells. AST and ALT are the most useful measures of liver injury, although AST levels are less liver specific than looking at ALT levels. [3] X Trustworthy Source MedlinePlus Collection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of Medicine Go to source
AST and other liver enzyme concentrations constantly decrease in men on low-calorie diets, whereas women on the same diets sometimes show an initial increase in AST levels before seeing a noticeable reduction a few weeks later. [5] X Research source For most women, eating less than 2,000 calories each day will lead to some weight loss every week (a pound or so) even if you’re only a light exerciser. Most men will lose weight when they regularly consume less than 2,200 calories daily. Losing weight by vigorously exercising and lifting weights has many health benefits, but AST levels may rise due to constant low-level damage to muscles. [6] X Research source
It was the participants who drank three or more cups of coffee daily who had lower liver enzyme levels compared to those who didn’t drink any coffee. Previous research has found that moderate coffee consumption may also help lower the risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver diseases, such as cirrhosis and cancer. If you’re hoping to lower AST levels and recover from a liver issue, then decaffeinated coffee is likely the better choice due to the side effects associated with moderate-to-high caffeine consumption (sleep disruption, nervousness, gastrointestinal upset and others).
Most milk thistle supplements contain 70-80% silymarin and are available as capsules, extracts and tinctures at most health food and botanical stores. A typical dosage of milk thistle for someone with liver disease 200-300 mg, 3x daily. Liver diseases, such as viral hepatitis (A, B and C), alcoholic cirrhosis, congestion and toxic hepatic injury, are the most common causes of moderate-to-severe elevations of AST in the blood. <
Turmeric (curcumin) is also linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and numerous cancer. Curry powder, which is widely used in Indian and Asian cuisine, is rich in turmeric/curcumin and gives curry its rich yellow color.
Acute liver failure from a variety of causes can develop very quickly (within days) in an otherwise healthy person and become life-threatening, so high AST and other enzyme levels should be taken seriously. In addition to the above mentioned signs and symptoms, a liver panel (looking at all the liver enzymes in the blood) may be ordered routinely for: people who are on long-term medication, heavy drinkers or alcoholics, those with previous bouts of hepatitis, diabetics and those who are obese.
If your AST levels are high and you are on statins and/or acetaminophen, talk to your doctor about alternative medication or remedies to deal with high cholesterol and/or chronic pain. At the very least, your dosages should be reduced. When you stop taking drugs that have an especially toxic effect on the liver, your AST levels will naturally reduce over the course of a few weeks or so. Too much iron accumulation in your body (called hemochromatosis) can lead to elevated levels of liver enzymes too — this may be an issue if you’re getting iron shots from your doctor to combat iron-deficiency anemia. Acetaminophen in the setting of normal liver function, with normal recommended doses is not toxic to the liver. Always follow dosage instructions and recommendations from your physician.
Hepatitis B is typically treated with the drugs lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil, whereas hepatitis C is treated with a combination of peginterferon and ribavirin. [13] X Research source Diuretic drugs are used to treat cirrhosis (to remove edema), as well as laxatives (such as lactulose) to help absorb toxins from the blood and take the workload off the liver. There a number of chemotherapy medications (oxaliplatin, capecitabine, gemcitabine) used to fight liver cancer, including very targeted therapies such as injecting the drug sorafenib (Nexavar) directly into tumors. [14] X Trustworthy Source American Cancer Society Nonprofit devoted to promoting cancer research, education, and support Go to source
