What are Alcoholic Liver Disease biomarkers

Alcoholic liver disease biomarkers are blood signals that reveal how alcohol stresses, injures, and reshapes the liver. They capture three main stories: cell damage, bile handling, and the liver’s ability to make vital proteins. Enzymes that normally live inside liver cells spill into blood when membranes are disrupted (aspartate aminotransferase, AST; alanine aminotransferase, ALT), and from bile duct cells when bile flow is disturbed (gamma‑glutamyl transferase, GGT). Pigment processing can falter, allowing breakdown products of red blood cells to build up (bilirubin). The liver’s “factory output” is reflected by blood proteins it makes, especially the main carrier protein (albumin) and clotting factors (prothrombin and related coagulation proteins). Blood cell patterns can echo alcohol’s effects on marrow and the liver (mean corpuscular volume, MCV; platelet count). Some markers point to alcohol exposure itself rather than liver damage (carbohydrate‑deficient transferrin, CDT; phosphatidylethanol, PEth). Together, these biomarkers translate alcohol’s impact into measurable changes, helping clinicians see the extent and nature of liver involvement and track biological recovery when drinking behavior changes.

Why is blood testing for Alcoholic Liver Disease important?

• Check for alcohol-related liver injury and how well your liver still works.
• Elevations in AST, ALT, and GGT spot early liver stress from alcohol.
• An AST:ALT ratio above 2 flags likely alcoholic hepatitis from drinking.
• High bilirubin explains jaundice, dark urine, or itching from impaired bile flow.
• Low albumin clarifies reduced liver function and higher risk of complications.
• Serial results track recovery with abstinence and guide referrals or further testing.
• Abnormal patterns guide fertility counseling and pregnancy planning to protect parent and baby.
• Best interpreted with INR, platelets, and symptoms to stage disease severity.

What insights will I get?

Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) blood testing provides a window into the health of your liver, a central organ for energy production, metabolism, detoxification, and immune regulation. When the liver is damaged by alcohol, its ability to support these vital systems is compromised, affecting everything from cardiovascular health to cognition. At Superpower, we assess ALD risk and liver function by measuring five key biomarkers: AST, ALT, GGT, Bilirubin, and Albumin.

AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine aminotransferase) are enzymes found in liver cells. When liver cells are injured by alcohol, these enzymes leak into the bloodstream, signaling cellular stress or damage. GGT (gamma-glutamyl transferase) is another enzyme that rises with alcohol exposure and bile duct stress, making it especially sensitive to alcohol-related injury. Bilirubin is a yellow pigment produced when red blood cells break down; elevated levels can indicate impaired liver processing or bile flow. Albumin is the main protein made by the liver, reflecting its ability to synthesize essential proteins for fluid balance and transport.

Healthy levels of these biomarkers suggest stable liver cell integrity, efficient detoxification, and robust protein synthesis. In ALD, elevations in AST, ALT, GGT, or Bilirubin, or a drop in Albumin, point to disrupted liver function, which can undermine metabolic stability and systemic health.

Interpretation of these results depends on factors like age, sex, pregnancy, acute illness, medications, and even lab methods. These variables can influence biomarker levels, so results are always considered in clinical context.