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01Markers · Liver

ALT

Alanine aminotransferase

An enzyme found mostly in liver cells. When liver cells are damaged, ALT leaks into the blood, so the test reflects liver cell injury.

Measured in
Blood (serum)
Units
U/L
Also called
SGPT, alanine transaminase
  1. Milk thistle
  2. Zinc
  3. L-carnitine
  4. Resveratrol
  5. HIIT
  6. Iron
  7. Magnesium
  8. Melatonin
  9. NAC
  10. Omega-3
  11. Vitamin C
  12. Berberine
  13. Zone 2 cardio
  14. Vitamin E
  15. Taurine
  16. Ubiquinol (CoQ10)
  17. Finnish sauna
  18. PQQ
  19. L-theanine
  20. Vitamin D3
  21. Creatine
  22. Collagen
  23. NAD+
  24. Red yeast rice
  25. Ashwagandha
  26. Vitamin K2
  27. Lion's mane
ALT across the 27 supplements and practices researched so far · best evidence first

AWhat moves ALT

26 of 27 studied

In human studies, 16 of the 27 supplements and practices researched so far lowered ALT and 3 raised it. 7 showed no change. 1 was never studied for it.
  • Supported 19
  • No effect 7
  • Conflicting 0
  • Not studied 1
See ALT on the evidence map →Check claims about ALT →

Moves it19

Human studies found a change. The grade reflects the studies behind it, from A (strongest) to D.

Milk thistleLowersGrade A

Milk thistle lowers ALT.

74 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, NASH, HCV, Alcoholic liver disease

A-grade evidence for ALT reduction in chronic liver disease (NAFLD, chronic hepatitis). Contradicted by B-grade null finding in acute viral hepatitis (El-Kamary 2009). Population_tags reflect the chronic-disease evidence base only. Acute hepatitis use should be counselled separately.

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ZincLowersGrade A

Zinc lowers ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · 60 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, NASH, Overweight, Adults

Multiple Iranian RCTs demonstrate ALT reduction in NAFLD. Geographic concentration in single country (Iran) is a major limitation. Mechanism: zinc reduces hepatic lipid peroxidation and NF-κB-driven hepatocyte inflammation. Requires replication in diverse populations.

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L-carnitineLowersGrade A

L-carnitine lowers ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · Modest effect · 41 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, T2DM, General adult

92 studies in corpus; hepatoprotective effect most pronounced in NAFLD and T2DM populations; parallels CPT-I activation reducing hepatic lipid accumulation

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ResveratrolLowersGrade A

Resveratrol lowers ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 41 studies linked

Studied in: Obese, NAFLD, Elevated liver enzymes

timmers_2011: -3.82 U/L ALAT (p=0.02); intrahepatic lipid also reduced; liver effect a strong signal in this cohort

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HIITLowersGrade A

HIIT lowers ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · 40 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD masld, Overweight obese, T2DM, Obese adolescent girls

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IronRaisesGrade A

Iron raises ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 39 studies linked

Studied in: CKD, Perioperative

Oral iron rarely causes hepatotoxicity at standard doses; high-dose iron overload (haemochromatosis) causes significant hepatic damage via Fenton chemistry

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MagnesiumLowersGrade A

Magnesium lowers ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 33 studies linked

Studied in: MetS, NAFLD, Adults

ALT reduction in MetS/NAFLD RCTs with Mg; mechanism via reduced hepatic inflammatory load and insulin sensitisation.

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MelatoninLowersGrade A

Melatonin lowers ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · Moderate effect · 31 studies linked

Studied in: Adults, NASH, NAFLD, Metabolic syndrome

ALT reduction in NASH/NAFLD patients; Akhavan Rezayat 2021 and Mansoori 2020 both show significant hepatoprotective effects; effect size varies with baseline severity

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NACLowersGrade A

NAC lowers ALT.

Human trials · Large effect · 24 studies linked

Studied in: Liver disease, Paracetamol overdose, NAFLD, Adult

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Omega-3LowersGrade A

Omega-3 lowers ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · Moderate effect · 23 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, NASH, Metabolic syndrome

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Vitamin CLowersGrade A

Vitamin C lowers ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · 17 studies linked

60 studies in corpus mention ALT but no systematic extraction of vitamin C → ALT effect has been performed. No clinically significant hepatotoxicity at oral doses ≤2 g/day. Direction and magnitude unknown for supplementation context.

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BerberineLowersGrade A

Berberine lowers ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · 14 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, NASH, T2DM with hepatic steatosis, Predominantly Chinese

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Zone 2 cardioLowersGrade A

Zone 2 cardio lowers ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · 5 studies linked

Studied in: Adults NAFLD, Adults overweight obese

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Vitamin ELowersGrade A

Vitamin E lowers ALT.

Moderate effect · 2 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, NASH, Adult, Mixed sex

Effect driven by hepatic indication; benefit in non-hepatic populations not established

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TaurineLowersGrade B

Taurine lowers ALT.

Human trials · 14 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD animal model, Alcohol liver disease animal, Surgical hepatic

57 corpus studies. Most evidence is animal/in-vitro hepatoprotection. Human RCT data limited to surgical contexts (Qin 2026 liver transplant n=24, Mottaghi 2022 post-liver-transplant n=23). No NAFLD/NASH human RCT with ALT as primary endpoint. Grade C ceiling until human RCT extraction.

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Ubiquinol (CoQ10)LowersGrade B

Ubiquinol (CoQ10) lowers ALT.

Human trials · 8 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, Masld, Metabolic syndrome

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Finnish saunaRaisesGrade B

Finnish sauna raises ALT.

Human trials · 2 studies linked

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PQQRaisesGrade B

PQQ raises ALT.

Human trials · 1 study linked

Studied in: No human data, Animal models only

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L-theanineLowersGrade C

L-theanine lowers ALT.

Human trials · 2 studies linked

Studied in: No human data

Animal literature suggests hepatoprotective effects (Liang 2022 NAFLD model, Küçükaslan 2025 ischemia-reperfusion). No human hepatic biomarker data extracted across 8 passes.

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Studied, no change7

Studies looked and found no meaningful change. That is a result, not missing data.

Vitamin D3No changeGrade A

Studies of Vitamin D3 found no change in ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · Negligible effect · 29 studies linked

Studied in: General adult

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CreatineNo changeGrade A

Studies of Creatine found no change in ALT.

21 studies linked

Likely a measurement artifact rather than a real change; see the note.

Studied in: Female, Reproductive age, Postmenopausal, General adult

MA-level evidence in females (n=951, 29 studies). Broad male RCT literature independently confirms null hepatic effect. Standard doses of creatine do not cause hepatotoxicity or transaminase elevation. Note: AST (not ALT) may be mildly elevated post-exercise as a muscle-source artifact unrelated to liver status.

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CollagenNo changeGrade A

Studies of Collagen found no change in ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · 12 studies linked

Studied in: Adult mixed sex, Healthy and OA

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NAD+No changeGrade A

Studies of NAD+ found no change in ALT.

Human trials · 12 studies linked

Studied in: Adults overweight obese, European finnish, Healthy, Overweight

Hepatosafety reassuring at NR 1g/day x 5 months; heavier cotwins had higher baseline ALT (33 vs 20 U/L) reflecting obesity-associated hepatic steatosis but no worsening

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Red yeast riceNo changeGrade A

Studies of Red yeast rice found no change in ALT.

Human trials · 8 studies linked

Studied in: Adult, Mixed population, Statin intolerant subset

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AshwagandhaNo changeGrade A

Studies of Ashwagandha found no change in ALT.

Meta-analysis or review · 6 studies linked

Studied in: Healthy adults standard doses, Rare idiosyncratic risk any dose

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Vitamin K2No changeGrade B

Studies of Vitamin K2 found no change in ALT.

2 studies linked

Studied in: Hcc patients, Cirrhosis, Japanese

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Not studied1

No usable human study has measured ALT with these. A gap is not a negative result: nobody has looked.

Lion's mane

Commission research on a gap →

Why trials measure it. Trials track it for liver effects, as an outcome in fatty-liver studies and as a safety check in supplement studies.

About this marker: ALT Blood Test (MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine).

Evidence states come from published human studies found in PubMed and OpenAlex and read by a model pipeline. "Not studied" means no usable human study was found for this marker, which is a gap, not a negative result. Every result links its studies so you can check it.

Research summary for education. Not medical advice.