Circulating alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is elevated in obese women with PCOS, and is reduced by protracted metformin treatment
R Fleming, L Harborne, J Norman & N Sattar
Serum ALT concentrations give some insight into liver fat accumulation and relate to metabolic syndrome: values >29 IU/L double risk of type 2 diabetes independent of other risk predictors. Women with PCOS are at increased risk of diabetes and CVD whereas metformin treatment modulates the progress of metabolic syndrome. Consequently, we investigated the effects of protracted metformin treatment on circulating ALT in obese women with PCOS.
Metformin treatment led to modest reductions in weight (ca 5 kgs) and ALT (repeated measures Anova, p=0.018; mean reduction =4.6 U/L: CI 0.96 to 8.4). Changes in ALT correlated only with change in weight (r squared=0.14) and GGT, not with changes in fasting insulin or HOMA-IR.