Glucose intolerance and serum aminotransferase activities in Japanese men.

Background/aims: Elevated activities of serum aminotransferase are commonly observed in patients with diabetes mellitus. Few studies have addressed the relation between glucose intolerance and serum activities of aminotransferase in free-living populations.

Methods: Using a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test, we examined the association of impaired fasting glycemia (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and type 2 diabetes mellitus with serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) among 4621 men aged 49-59 years of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Statistical adjustment was made for body mass index, waist-hip ratio, and other possible confounding factors.

Results: Proportions of an elevated ALT (>50 IU/l) in men with normal glucose tolerance, IFG, IGT, and newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus were 3.5%, 9.5%, 7.7%, and 18.0%, respectively. Adjusted odds ratios of an elevated ALT for IFG, IGT, and newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus were 2.2 (95% confidence interval 1.1-4.3), 1.7 (1.2-2.4), and 4.4 (3.0-6.6), respectively. IGT and diabetes mellitus were also significantly positively associated with elevated AST (>40 IU/l) and GGT (>50 IU/l).

Conclusions: Glucose intolerance is associated with elevated serum aminotransferase independent of obesity, but even a mildly elevated ALT is relatively uncommon in free-living men with glucose intolerance.