3 ways to lower your ALT level

3 ways to lower your ALT level
3 ways to lower your ALT level

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is an enzyme found mainly in the liver, but it is also found at low levels in the kidneys, heart, muscles and pancreas. High ALT levels can be a sign of serious health problems, especially liver health problems. To lower your ALT level, you need to improve the overall health of your liver while working with your doctor to determine the cause of the abnormally high ALT level.


Method 1 of 3: Take care of your diet

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Step 1. Cut down on your alcohol intake

Alcohol abuse is one of the most common causes of liver damage, but even moderate amounts of alcohol can gradually damage liver cells.

Moderate alcohol consumption means one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Stay below this limit to improve your liver health and improve your ALT levels. If you already have liver disease, you should stop drinking alcohol completely

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Step 2. Drink more coffee

Oddly enough, research suggests that a cup of coffee each day can help reduce the risk of liver disease. Since ALT levels and liver disease are closely related, drinking coffee can also have a positive effect on your ALT levels.

  • Please note that these studies are quite recent, which is why the link between ALT levels and coffee is not yet proven.
  • Green tea can also improve the health of your liver. It contains plant antioxidants called "catechins" which are believed to improve many physiological functions, including the functioning of the liver.
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Step 3. Eat organic foods

If your ALT levels are particularly high, consider switching to an organic diet. Most people can tolerate chemical food additives, but for those with high levels of ALT and liver problems, these chemicals will only make their current situation worse.

  • The liver filters the toxins in your body, but when it has to filter out too many toxins, it weakens and slows down.
  • By law, organic foods must not contain genetically modified organisms or synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones or similar drugs, which makes them easier for your body to assimilate.
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Step 4. Limit your intake of junk food

Excess sugars and fats can also overload your liver, which is why you may be able to improve both your liver function and your ALT levels by eliminating them from your diet or reducing their amounts.

In particular, try to reduce the amounts of fructose and trans fatty acids that you consume. Fructose is found mostly in sodas and fruit juices while trans fatty acids are found in fried foods, fast foods and processed foods

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Step 5. Eat more fruits and vegetables

Lots of fruits and vegetables naturally detoxify the body. They then help the liver to free itself from its load, which allows it to heal and reduce ALT levels.

  • Try to eat more vegetables that are high in sulfur, such as onions and garlic.
  • Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower are also some of the best vegetables for improving your ALT levels.
  • Grapefruits, beets, green leafy vegetables, avocados and lemons have also been linked to improved liver health.
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Step 6. Eat more dietary fiber

Fiber pushes toxins through your digestive system faster, so they spend less time damaging your liver.

  • Many fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of fiber.
  • Whole grains and seeds are also an excellent source of fiber. Flaxseeds can be particularly useful because they bind in a targeted way to excess potentially harmful hormones and allow them to be eliminated from your system more effectively.
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Step 7. Use food supplements with caution

While some remedies claim to restore your liver to good health and stabilize ALT levels, there is often very little research to back up these claims. Some herbal remedies and supplements can even damage the liver and increase ALT levels.

  • Talk with your doctor before taking any herbal remedy or any other combination of drugs.
  • Cascara, chaparral, comfrey, kava, and ephedra have been linked to liver problems.
  • Milk extracted from thistle seeds is an herbal supplement believed to improve liver health. You'll find other supplements like fish oil, green tea extract, curcumin (found naturally in turmeric), alpha lipoic acid, and acetyl-L-carnitine.

Method 2 of 3: Improve your lifestyle

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Step 1. Exercise regularly

Exercise improves your overall health, which is why regular aerobic or cardiovascular exercise can also improve your level of health and ALT levels.

  • Studies have suggested that physical activity for at least 150 minutes per week can improve levels of liver enzymes like ALT in adults.
  • Exercise can help you lose excess weight and limit the amount of fat that enters your liver. They can also make you sweat, which is part of your body's natural detoxification mechanisms.
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Step 2. Lose weight, if necessary

Obesity can allow fat to seep into the liver cells and when this happens you could suffer from inflammation of the liver.

The best way to lose weight is to do it gradually by sticking to a healthy diet and exercising regularly. You might put too much strain on your body and organs by losing weight too quickly through fad diets or overly drastic methods, which in the end will create more problems for you than you did at the beginning

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Step 3. Stop smoking, if that is the case

Chemical additives found in cigarettes often contain toxins that damage liver cells when the liver tries to filter them. Stop smoking to make your liver stronger and to improve your ALT levels.

On the same note, you should also avoid secondhand smoke, since you can inhale most of these harmful toxins and experience the same ill effects

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Step 4. Avoid chemical toxins that are in your environment

Many household chemicals also contain toxins that can damage the liver, so you need to limit your exposure to these chemicals to improve your ALT level and your liver health.

  • You can find these toxins in many cleaning products, in aerosol products, and in insecticides.
  • Swap your household chemicals for natural products. When possible, use natural alternatives you already have at home, such as using vinegar to bleach your clothes instead of bleach. There are also products on the market, called "natural", it may be useful to check them.
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Step 5. Invest in an air purifier

A small air purifier can help you filter out toxins that are in the air in your home. By filtering these toxins and removing them from the air you breathe, you limit their absorption by your body and your liver.

This can be even more useful if you live in an area with high car traffic

Method 3 of 3: Manage medical problems

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Step 1. Avoid drugs related to liver damage

Certain drugs or drug combinations can cause damage to the liver, especially when taken regularly over a long period of time. To improve your ALT levels, do not take drugs known to weaken liver health.

  • Paracetamol can be toxic to the liver when taken in excess. In addition to being marketed as a pain reliever, it is also found in many cold and pain medications. There are other pain medications that have effects similar to paracetamol, for example aspirin, diclofenac, and naproxen.
  • Cholesterol medications can also damage the liver, but you should talk to your doctor about this before you stop taking any cholesterol medication he or she prescribes for you.
  • Other drugs can cause a high level of ALT: certain antibiotics (sulfonamides, nitrofurantoin), drugs against tuberculosis (isoniazid), antifungal drugs (fluconazole, itraconazole), anti-epileptic drugs (phenytoin, carbamazepine) and tricyclic antidepressants. Statins, chemotherapy, narcotics and barbiturates can also cause high levels of ALT.
  • If you are already taking any medicines, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you start taking any new medicine to make sure that the interaction between these two medicines will not harm your liver.
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Step 2. Treat the underlying causes

High ALT on its own may not be bad, but it is often a sign that something is wrong with your liver. To lower your ALT levels over the long term, you need to treat conditions that may be damaging your liver.

  • Hepatitis is a major cause of elevated ALT levels. This includes acute viral hepatitis (A and B) and chronic viral hepatitis (both B and C).
  • Cirrhosis can also cause an increase in the level of ALT. It happens when scars appear on the liver after prolonged inflammation.
  • Fatty liver disease can also increase ALT levels, especially alcoholic fatty liver disease.
  • Hemochromatosis is also known to cause high levels of ALT. It is a genetic condition caused by the buildup of iron in the liver.
  • Decreased blood flow to the liver can also raise ALT levels. Usually, this happens when you experience shock or suffer from heart failure.
  • There are also less common medical conditions related to increased ALT levels, for example wild mushroom poisoning, Wilson's disease, liver cancer, autoimmune hepatitis, pregnancy, inflammatory diseases. intestine, gallstones and alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency.


  • ALT helps the body metabolize protein. If the liver is not working properly, it releases ALT into the blood. This is the reason why a high level of ALT is often indicative of liver problems.
  • The level of ALT can be detected by having the patient take a special blood test, and then the results are usually available within 12 hours or more, depending on the medical center.
  • The normal level of ALT for men is between 10 and 40 units per liter of blood or between 0.17 and 0.68 microkats per liter. For women, the normal level is between 7 and 35 units per liter of blood or between 0.12 and 0.60 microkats per liter of blood.


  • A high level of ALT often means that there is damage or damage to the liver. A slight increase usually indicates benign liver damage, but a high rate 10 to 20 times higher than normal may indicate more severe liver damage.
  • If your ALT level is high, you should see a doctor to determine the reason for the increase in your ALT level and to discuss solutions to reduce them. The advice in this article is general and intended for general knowledge only. You must deal with your health problems with a professional.

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