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HomeTests ExplainedAST

BLOOD TEST · SMART CARE POLYCLINIC, DEIRA

AST explained

A liver enzyme that also comes from muscle, so it is read next to ALT rather than alone.

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SAMPLE
Blood
FASTING
Not needed for AST, but usually taken with a fasting panel
INCLUDED IN
Order on its own
WHERE
29 Doha Centre, Al Maktoum Rd, Deira

What the AST test measures

An enzyme found in liver cells but also in heart muscle, skeletal muscle and red blood cells. That wider spread is the important part — hard exercise alone can raise it, which is why AST is read next to ALT rather than by itself.1

Reported as part of Liver Function Test.

What the result tells you

Raised with ALT

The liver is the likely source. How much each has moved decides what happens next.

AST well above ALT

The pattern associated with alcohol-related liver injury.

Raised alone, ALT normal

Often nothing to do with the liver. Hard exercise or muscle injury in the days before is the usual explanation.

Easily falsified

A difficult blood draw breaks red cells and raises AST artificially. An isolated high result gets repeated.

How to prepare

Fasting
Not needed for AST, but usually taken with a fasting panel
Best time
Morning, with the rest of the panel
Avoid before
  • Strenuous exercise for 2–3 days
  • Alcohol for 2–3 days
Worth knowing
A hard gym session raises AST from muscle and produces a liver result that looks abnormal when the liver is fine.

What can move the result

A result outside the usual range does not on its own mean something is wrong. These are the everyday explanations a doctor considers first.

Strenuous exercise or muscle injury in the days before
Alcohol
Fatty liver and viral hepatitis
A difficult blood draw, which breaks red cells
Some prescribed medicines

Frequently asked questions

An enzyme found in liver cells but also in heart muscle, skeletal muscle and red blood cells. That wider spread is the important part — hard exercise alone can raise it, which is why AST is read next to ALT rather than by itself. Raised with ALT: The liver is the likely source. How much each has moved decides what happens next.

Sources

Written from current guidance and reviewed 31 August 2026.

Sources cited above

  1. Kwo PY, Cohen SM, Lim JK. ACG Clinical Guideline: Evaluation of Abnormal Liver Chemistries. The American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2017;112(1):18-35. PMID 27995906. doi:10.1038/ajg.2016.517The American College of Gastroenterology guideline on what a raised liver enzyme actually means and how an abnormal result should be worked up.

Sources are listed for the specific statements they support. They are published research and guidance, not a substitute for a consultation — what applies to you is decided by a doctor who has assessed you.