Department of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Research Unit, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, University of Tampere, Seinäjoki FIN-60220, Finland.
Alcohol Alcohol. 2012 Sep-Oct;47(5):558-62. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/ags072. Epub 2012 Jun 29.
While serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) enzyme activity is a well established biomarker of excessive alcohol consumption and liver dysfunction, recent studies have also implicated it as a predictor of morbidity due to extrahepatic causes. Therefore, further information on the associations between ethanol intake and GGT activities in apparently healthy individuals appears warranted.
Data on alcohol consumption and serum GGT activities were collected from 18,899 individuals (8807 men, 10,092 women), mean age 48 years and range 25-74 years, who participated in a national cross-sectional health survey. Alcohol use was assessed by detailed questionnaires and the study population was subsequently divided into subgroups according to age and gender. Body mass index and smoking were used as covariates in all analyses.
In men over 40 years, a reported regular consumption of 8 standard ethanol doses ('dose' = 12 g ethanol) or more per week was found to lead to a significant elevation in serum GGT activities, whereas those below 40 showed first significant changes not until the reported ethanol intake exceeded 14 doses per week. For women, the corresponding threshold levels were four and seven standard ethanol doses, respectively.
The data pertaining to the present population sample indicate that rather low levels of reported regular ethanol consumption lead to elevated levels of GGT and that age over 40 markedly enhances the impact of alcohol consumption on GGT activity. The present findings should form the basis for defining safe levels of ethanol consumption and in recalibrating goals for normal limits in the clinical use of GGT measurements.
虽然血清γ-谷氨酰转移酶（GGT）酶活性是过量饮酒和肝功能障碍的一个公认的生物标志物，但最近的研究也表明它是肝外原因导致发病率的预测因子。因此，进一步了解在表面健康个体中乙醇摄入与 GGT 活性之间的关联似乎是必要的。
从 18899 名参与者（8807 名男性，10092 名女性）中收集了酒精摄入量和血清 GGT 活性的数据，平均年龄为 48 岁，年龄范围为 25-74 岁，他们参加了一项全国性的横断面健康调查。酒精使用情况通过详细的问卷进行评估，随后根据年龄和性别将研究人群分为亚组。在所有分析中，体重指数和吸烟被用作协变量。
在 40 岁以上的男性中，每周报告的 8 个标准乙醇剂量（“剂量”=12g 乙醇）或更多的规律饮酒会导致血清 GGT 活性显著升高，而 40 岁以下的人则要到每周报告的乙醇摄入量超过 14 剂量时才会出现首次显著变化。对于女性，相应的阈值水平分别为 4 个和 7 个标准乙醇剂量。
与本人群样本相关的数据表明，相当低水平的报告性规律乙醇摄入会导致 GGT 水平升高，并且年龄超过 40 岁会显著增强饮酒对 GGT 活性的影响。本研究结果应作为确定乙醇安全摄入水平和重新校准 GGT 测量临床应用正常限值的基础。
