Changes in alanine aminotransferase in adults with severe and complicated obesity during a milk-based meal replacement programme

• Published in: Nutrition & metabolism Vol. 17; no. 1; p. 87
• Main Authors: Abdalgwad, Razk, Rafey, Mohammed Faraz, Murphy, Conor, Ioana, Iulia, O'Shea, Paula Mary, Slattery, Eoin, Davenport, Colin, O'Keeffe, Derek Timothy, Finucane, Francis Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 16.10.2020; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adipose tissue; Adults; Alanine; Alanine aminotransferase; Alanine transaminase; Amino acids; Bariatric; Body mass index; Body weight; Body weight loss; Calories; Diabetes; Diet; Dietary restrictions; Dietitians; Enzymes; Fatty liver; Gastrointestinal surgery; Intervention; Liver; Liver diseases; Medical research; Metabolism; Milk; Milk-based meal replacement programme; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; Obesity; Proteins; Rankings; Severe obesity; Spectrophotometry; Steatosis; Type 2 diabetes; Weight control; Weight loss; Weight loss maintenance; Alanine aminotransferase; Bariatric; Milk-based meal replacement programme; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; Severe obesity
• ISSN: 1743-7075; 1743-7075
• DOI: 10.1186/s12986-020-00512-5

Excess adiposity is associated with fat accumulation within the liver, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is highly prevalent in bariatric patients. Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is associated with prevalent NASH. We sought to determine the influence of a milk-based meal replacement weight-loss programme on ALT levels in adults with severe and complicated obesity. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who completed a 24-week meal replacement programme, comprised of a weight loss phase followed by weight stabilisation and maintenance phases, each 8 weeks long. ALT was quantified using an enzymatic assay with spectrophotometric detection. We examined changes over time in ALT using the non-parametric Wilcoxon singed-rank test and the Friedman test. Of 105 patients, 56 were female, mean age was 51.2 ± 11.2 (range 18.0-71.6) years. There was an unanticipated but transient increase in ALT from 28.0 [20.0, 40.5] iu/L at baseline to 40.0 [26.0, 55.0] iu/L after 2 weeks (  < 0.0005), followed by a gradual reduction to 21.0 [17.0, 28.3] iu/L by 24 weeks (  < 0.0005). The overall reductions in ALT were more pronounced in patients who had elevated levels at baseline. Body weight decreased from 144.2 ± 28.0 kg at baseline to 121.6 ± 25.4 kg at 24 weeks (  < 0.0005) and body mass index (BMI) decreased from 50.7 ± 8.1 kg m at baseline to 43.0 ± 7.6 kg m by 24 weeks (  < 0.0005). In adults with severe and complicated obesity undergoing a milk-based meal replacement programme, there was an initial unanticipated rise in ALT in the first 2 weeks, followed by a gradual overall reduction by 24 weeks. These findings suggest that rapid weight loss secondary to significant caloric restriction might induce a transient deterioration in hepatic steatosis prior to an ultimate overall improvement.