The associations between liver enzymes and the risk of metabolic syndrome in the elderly.

Background: Studies have demonstrated that liver enzymes are associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, little information is available regarding these relationships in elderly populations. Our present study aimed to explore the associations between liver enzymes and the risk of MetS in elderly populations.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1444 elder participants (970 men and 474 women) who attended annual physical examinations. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to estimate the associations between liver enzymes and the risk of MetS and its components according to quartiles of the concentration of each liver enzyme.

Results: The prevalence of MetS and its components increased remarkably with increasing quartiles of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) but not with aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the elderly. Compared with subjects in the bottom quartile, the adjusted odds ratio for MetS in the highest ALT, GGT and ALP quartiles were 1.78 (95% CI 1.21-2.61), 2.58 (95% CI 1.77-3.78) and 1.85 (95%CI 1.27-2.70) respectively. No statistically significant increases in the odds ratio for MetS according to increased quartiles of AST were found in either the univariate or multivariate logistic regression analyses.

Conclusions: Elevated liver enzymes levels (mainly ALT, GGT and ALP but not AST) are positively associated with the prevalence of MetS in elderly populations.