Increased liver markers are associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes

Table 4 Risk of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose examined by combinations of liver markers

	Men		Women
	OR (95%CI)	P value	OR (95%CI)	P value
In type 2 diabetes
ALT, highest quartile, and AST/ALT, lowest quartile	2.77 (1.749-4.371)	< 0.001	3.76 (2.731-5.175)	< 0.001
ALT, highest quartile, and GGT, highest quartile	2.37 (1.486-3.794)	< 0.001	4.03 (2.961-5.492)	< 0.001
GGT, highest quartile, and AST/ALT, lowest quartile	2.73 (1.614-4.634)	< 0.001	4.20 (2.987-5.903)	< 0.001
ALT, GGT, highest quartile, and AST/ALT, lowest quartile	3.21 (1.829-5.622)	< 0.001	4.60 (3.217-6.582)	< 0.001
In IFG
ALT, highest quartile, and AST/ALT, lowest quartile	2.04 (1.410-2.952)	< 0.001	1.88 (1.439-2.458)	< 0.001
ALT, highest quartile, and GGT, highest quartile	2.10 (1.413-3.105)	< 0.001	2.27 (1.676-3.072)	< 0.001
GGT, highest quartile, and AST/ALT, lowest quartile	1.79 (1.182-2.716)	0.006	2.38 (1.761-3.220)	< 0.001
ALT, GGT, highest quartile, and AST/ALT, lowest quartile	1.99 (1.264-3.131)	0.003	2.40 (1.720-3.354)	< 0.001

Adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol intake, regular physical activity, education level, income level, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. ALT highest quartile (IU/L): ≥ 29 in men and ≥ 20 in women; AST highest quartile (IU/L): ≥ 26 in men and ≥ 23 in women; AST/ALT lowest quartile: < 0.8 in men and < 1.1 in women; GGT highest quartile (IU/L): ≥ 47 in men and ≥ 23 in women. AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; GGT: Gamma-glutamyltransferase.