Episode #389: Your Liver Enzymes Are Elevated — But It Might Not Be Your Liver
About this episode
The episode discusses how elevated liver enzymes in healthy athletes may not indicate liver issues but rather the effects of exercise and supplements.
A fit, healthy 39-year-old was nearly sent for a liver biopsy. The cause? Was it that he went to the gym before every blood draw or because his supplement was throwing his labs off?. Dr. Jordan Feigenbaum and Dr. Austin Baraki break down the blind spot that sends thousands of healthy athletes down an expensive, potentially unnecessary diagnostic rabbit hole every year. Timestamps: 00:01:09 Introducing the Case 00:03:44 How to Read a Liver Panel: ALT, AST, GGT, Alk Phos, Albumin Explained 00:10:50 What Is GGT and Why Does It Matter Clinically? 00:16:38 Why Exercise, Protein, and Creatine Aren't on the Differential (Yet) 00:17:35 The Workup: Hepatitis Panels, Abdominal Ultrasound, and More 00:19:42 Second Set of Labs — The Mystery Deepens 00:25:25 Updated Differential: What's Still on the List? 00:27:08 The Labs Normalize — A Critical Clue Appears 00:31:40 The Reveal: Exercise Was the Cause All Along 00:32:18 The Mechanism: How Exercise Elevates 'Liver' Enzymes 00:32:54 Point 1 — ALT & AST Are Not Exclusively Liver Enzymes 00:33:49 Point 2 — It's Unavoidable: 100% of Lifters Are Affected 00:36:02 Point 3 — It Takes 10–12 Days to Normalize 00:37:00 Point 4 — It's Mostly Harmless…
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