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01Markers · Liver

AST

Aspartate aminotransferase

An enzyme found in the liver, heart and muscles. It rises in blood when these tissues are damaged, including after hard exercise.

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

AWhat moves AST

25 of 27 studied

In human studies, 15 of the 27 supplements and practices researched so far lowered AST and 2 raised it. 7 showed no change and 1 had mixed results. 2 were never studied for it.
  • Supported 17
  • No effect 7
  • Conflicting 1
  • Not studied 2
See AST on the evidence map →Check claims about AST →

Moves it17

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

HIITLowersGrade A

HIIT lowers AST.

Meta-analysis or review · 132 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD masld, Overweight obese, T2DM

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MagnesiumLowersGrade A

Magnesium lowers AST.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 121 studies linked

Studied in: MetS, NAFLD

Co-moves with ALT; no RCTs powered specifically for liver enzymes as primary endpoint.

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Omega-3LowersGrade A

Omega-3 lowers AST.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 107 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, NASH

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L-carnitineLowersGrade A

L-carnitine lowers AST.

Meta-analysis or review · Modest effect · 104 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, T2DM, General adult

88 studies in corpus; parallel reduction with ALT; hepatic effect consistent; AST/ALT ratio changes not consistently reported

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ZincLowersGrade A

Zinc lowers AST.

Meta-analysis or review · 95 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, Overweight, Adults, Middle East

AST reduction follows ALT in NAFLD studies. Less studied as primary endpoint than ALT. Same geographic concentration caveat applies. Effect in alcoholic liver disease or CKD-related hepatic dysfunction less well characterized.

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Milk thistleLowersGrade A

Milk thistle lowers AST.

85 studies linked

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

A-grade in chronic liver disease. Null in acute hepatitis context (El-Kamary 2009, B-grade). Contradiction preserved; chronic-disease grade maintained.

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MelatoninLowersGrade A

Melatonin lowers AST.

Meta-analysis or review · Small to moderate effect · 73 studies linked

Studied in: Adults, NASH, NAFLD

AST reduction parallels ALT; AST/ALT ratio improvement suggests hepatocellular rather than cholestatic pattern

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IronRaisesGrade A

Iron raises AST.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 57 studies linked

Studied in: Iv iron recipients, Iron overload

Transient AST elevation reported with IV iron infusions in <5% of cases, similar to ALT. In chronic iron overload (hemochromatosis), progressive hepatocyte damage elevates AST. No consistent effect from oral therapeutic iron in non-overload subjects.

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BerberineLowersGrade A

Berberine lowers AST.

Meta-analysis or review · 52 studies linked

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

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NACLowersGrade A

NAC lowers AST.

Human trials · Large effect · 48 studies linked

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

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Zone 2 cardioLowersGrade A

Zone 2 cardio lowers AST.

Meta-analysis or review · 42 studies linked

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TaurineLowersGrade A

Taurine lowers AST.

Meta-analysis or review · 37 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD animal model, Surgical hepatic

55 corpus studies. Same evidence profile as ALT — predominantly animal data.

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Ubiquinol (CoQ10)LowersGrade A

Ubiquinol (CoQ10) lowers AST.

Meta-analysis or review · 21 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, Masld

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Finnish saunaLowersGrade A

Finnish sauna lowers AST.

Meta-analysis or review · 9 studies linked

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Vitamin ELowersGrade A

Vitamin E lowers AST.

Moderate effect · 2 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, NASH, Adult, Mixed sex

Consistent across multiple meta-analyses; magnitude slightly smaller than ALT reduction

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L-theanineLowersGrade B

L-theanine lowers AST.

Human trials · 5 studies linked

Studied in: No human data

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PQQRaisesGrade C

PQQ raises AST.

Human trials · 1 study linked

Studied in: No human data, Animal models only

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Studied, no change7

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

CollagenNo changeGrade A

Studies of Collagen found no change in AST.

Meta-analysis or review · 114 studies linked

Studied in: Adult mixed sex

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Vitamin D3No changeGrade A

Studies of Vitamin D3 found no change in AST.

Meta-analysis or review · Negligible effect · 99 studies linked

Studied in: General adult

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CreatineNo changeGrade A

Studies of Creatine found no change in AST.

35 studies linked

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

Female MA confirms no liver-specific AST elevation. Resistance-training studies may show transiently elevated AST post-exercise due to skeletal muscle efflux (creatine kinase co-elevation distinguishes muscle vs. liver source). This is not a hepatotoxicity signal.

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Red yeast riceNo changeGrade A

Studies of Red yeast rice found no change in AST.

Meta-analysis or review · 32 studies linked

Studied in: Adult, Mixed population

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Vitamin K2No changeGrade A

Studies of Vitamin K2 found no change in AST.

Meta-analysis or review · 16 studies linked

Studied in: Hcc patients, General adult

2 studies with AST data per corpus coverage; no elevation signal. Thin evidence base but no safety concern.

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NAD+No changeGrade A

Studies of NAD+ found no change in AST.

Human trials · 8 studies linked

Studied in: Healthy, Overweight, Age 40 60

Safety confirmed at supratherapeutic doses. No hepatotoxicity. COI: ChromaDex-sponsored. Grade corrected from A to B: single source RCT only.

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AshwagandhaNo changeGrade B

Studies of Ashwagandha found no change in AST.

Human trials · 8 studies linked

Studied in: Healthy adults standard doses, Rare idiosyncratic risk

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Mixed results1

Studies disagree, or the direction depends on who was studied.

ResveratrolMixed resultsGrade A

Studies of Resveratrol and AST disagree.

Meta-analysis or review · 131 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, Obese, Adults

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Not studied2

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

Lion's maneVitamin C

Commission research on a gap →

Why trials measure it. Reported with ALT as a liver measure; exercise trials note it because working muscle releases it too.

About this marker: AST 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.