Aspartate transaminase

Every time you go to the doctor, there's a test called a comprehensive metabolic panel or CMP that includes liver enzymes.

It includes, uh, one called an alkaline phosphatase, the AST and the ALT.

Uh, those can be abnormal in fatty liver, but also the, the most diagnostic test is an ultrasound.

But if you are overweight, you can have fatty liver.

Every time you go to the doctor, there's a test called a comprehensive metabolic panel or CMP that includes liver enzymes.

It includes, uh, one called an alkaline phosphatase, the AST and the ALT.

Uh, those can be abnormal in fatty liver, but also the, the most diagnostic test is an ultrasound.

But if you are overweight, you can have fatty liver.

It looked like, you know, okay.

So then the AST, which is normally, yours is 35, it's normally between 20 and 40, if you did blood work.

So that it's right where that should be.

So I was like, oh, something normal here.

My iron values, including TIBC, iron saturation, iron total were very abnormal.

Also my AST and ALT were also high.

I have been doing a ton of cross training lately too, as I'm overcoming a femur injury and I'm coming off an indoor outdoor track season where I rarely competed.

because my performance was dropping rapidly.

So take them with a grain of salt.

But when it comes to labs specific to this question, there's a few things to consider.

So I'll sort of talk about the iron values that she had discussed and then we'll talk about the AST and ALT.

So iron itself, I feel like a lot of athletes know this, but if you don't, iron itself is a mineral that plays a key role in aerobic-based sports.

Uh, wish I could now.

Um, and so then I went and had my lab work done, and I was fasted, which was great, but my, um, AST, which is a liver enzyme, was through the roof.

So I get the phone call the next day, "You're in liver failure." And I'm like, "Really? I don't think so." Uh, and so they sent me a copy of the lab results.

I said, "Yeah, I think I went to the gym and had a really hard workout.

Thanks.

I'll come back in and get some more lab work and I won't go to the gym first." It was perfectly normal.

'Cause AST is also secreted by muscle cells, and when you, you know, like really work them out hard and stretch them, they kind of leak.

[laughs] And so, you know, a- and that's not, like that's a bigger problem with dogs, like, you know, agility dogs and that kind of thing, 'cause our cats are not usually, you know, being crazy.