Effect of Overweight and Obesity on Liver Function in a Sample From Pakistani Population

The present study was an attempt to document the number of overweight and obese in a sample of normal individuals and to relate both these two factors with the liver function. The study was prospective and a total of 99 male and female individuals of ages between 20-65 years were included and serum lipids and liver enzymes were evaluated. According to BMI, 28% individuals were normal, while 41% and 31% were overweight and obese, respectively. Obese females had greater BMI than males, while males had greater WHR. Cholesterol levels did not differ significantly from normal but a trend of greater cholesterol levels in males of all groups than the females was noticeable. Significantly greater triglyceride levels were found in overweight and obese males only. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and asparte aminotransferase (AST) levels showed significant elevations in obese males while in overweight males they were on the rise. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels elevated significantly in obese females only. Correlation analysis demonstrated that ALT was positively correlated with age, BMI, cholesterol, triglyceride, AST and ALP in both females and males. The study implicates that overweight and obesity significantly affects liver function and may lead to further complications of the liver. Serum ALT best indicates liver dysfunction.