TITLE:
Changes in Alanine Aminotransferase/Aspartate Aminotransferase Ratio Are Associated with Changes in Insulin Resistance in Japanese Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Elderly Women
AUTHORS:
Ryuichi Kawamoto, Daisuke Ninomiya, Yoshihisa Kasai, Tomo Kusunoki, Nobuyuki Ohtsuka, Teru Kumagi, Masanori Abe
KEYWORDS:
ALT/AST Ratio, Insulin Resistance, HOMA-IR, Change, Walking Exercise, Women
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases,
Vol.6 No.6,
June
15,
2016
ABSTRACT: Liver marker {e.g.,
alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)} levels
independently predict insulin resistance. The aim of the present study is to
examine how changes in liver markers are associated with changes in insulin resistance after exercise in
Japanese community-dwelling adults. The
participants were 76 women aged 67 ± 6 years from a rural village. Nordic walk
(NW) exercise of 120 min per week was performed for 12 weeks. Before and at the
end of the 12-week intervention, various confounding factors and insulin
resistance {e.g., Homeostatic
Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)}
were measured. The baseline, follow-up, and changes in ALT/AST ratio (β = 0.390, P β =
0.393, P β = 0.321, P = 0.004, respectively)
were each significantly and independently associated with HOMA-IR. When the
data were further stratified by baseline and change in ASL/AST ratio, changes
in HOMA-IR decreased more significantly in participants with baseline ASL/AST
ratio ≥ 0.762 and change in ALT/AST ratio of P = 0.002 and ASL/AST ratio ≥
0.762, P = 0.047). This study is of interest because
liver transaminase markers, which are inexpensive and routinely collected in
clinical settings, may provide a simple and accurate enhancement to models
currently used to identify subjects with changes in insulin resistance. These results suggest that a higher
baseline and decreased change in ALT/AST ratio may be a predictor for decreased
insulin resistance after a 12-week walking exercise in community-dwelling
middle-aged and elderly women.