QuestionI just read one of the answers to the low ast & alt levels as being a sign of liver disease. I had an iron test done prior to an abortion, which revealed that I was anemic (8.3). A couple of months after I was able to have the abortion, I had a CBC done, and my iron was still pretty low, but my AST & ALT were also slightly below normal. I admit that over not a consecutive, but probably a total of 8-9 years, I have been a heavy drinker, ranging from 6-10 beers a day, and even more on the weekends. After reading the answer to the guy's question, it is really making me scared to death about having something wrong with my liver. I'm trying to do better now, but I am so scared, and don't know if now I'm even imagining symptoms or not.
AnswerHi Kristy. There are many reasons for decreased liver enzymes and may include the following: malabsorption, poor diet, diet low in foods with nitrogen, fever, diarrhea, infection, inadequate iron intake, severe burns, hypocalcemia, protein and other vitamin deficiencies, pregnancy, malnutrition, hypothyroidism, adrenal exhaustion, low organ activity, kidney disease or damage, excessive fat digestion. Notice that one of those is inadequate iron intake. Perhaps you need to be on an iron supplement (and not just a multivitamin). Check with your doctor.
Samantha
