Alanine Aminotransferase levels are Associated with Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in Hispanic/Latino Farmworkers

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are major causes of mortality among U.S. Hispanic/Latino farmworkers. Since Hispanics/Latinos, in general, are twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to have elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT), a biomarker of suspected nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, it is vital to understand the CVD risk factor-ALT relationship in Hispanic/Latino farmworkers. This study investigated the elevated ALT status in Hispanic/Latino farmworkers and the relationships between ALT and CVD risk markers.Methods: In 210 Hispanic/Latino farmworkers (48% female; aged 35.2 ± 9.2 years), fasting blood samples were measured for serum ALT, and elevated ALT was defined by > 43 U/L. CVD risk markers were measured with standard methods and defined according to the definitions of metabolic syndrome.Results: The overall prevalence for elevated ALT was 12.4%. Significant linear upward trends across tertiles of serum ALT were observed for body mass index, waist circumference, fasting glucose, and triglycerides after adjusting for age and sex (all P-trend < 0.05). Multinomial logistic regression, adjusting for age and sex, revealed that compared to individuals with the lowest ALT levels (tertile1), the adjusted odds ratios for overweight/obesity, prediabetes, elevated triglycerides, and metabolic syndrome were 3.2 (95% CI:1.2-8.6), 3.7 (95% CI:1.6-8.4), 3.0 (95% CI:1.5-6.2), and 2.7 (95% CI:1.3-5.6), respectively, for those in the highest ALT levels (tertile 3). No association was found between serum ALT and blood pressure or HDL-cholesterol.Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence for the high prevalence of elevated ALT levels in Hispanic/Latino farmworkers and suggest that increased serum ALT is associated with multiple markers of CVD risk.