Lights off, projector on, and action!  

The whole cinema hall goes silent. The only sound that fills the air-conditioned hall is the background score at the hero’s entry. Our heart starts to race with the increasing drama, our brain registers the action, and we clap and whistle in response.  

From the brain to the feet, almost every organ reacts to the story happening in front of us. Well, except for the organs such as the liver working “behind the scenes.”  

We don’t feel it like our heart when it pounds, and we don’t experience its smartness like our brain when it drags us out of a situation.  

However, the liver is one of the most crucial body organs and does its job silently like the supporting characters in a film. We don’t realize their importance, but they help the film’s hero in the right direction keeping the entire film in shape. 

So, if you are as much a fitness enthusiast as a film lover, give your liver its due credit and include liver tests in your fitness check-up packages. 

Why is the liver an important body organ 

For the layman, the role liver plays in our day-to-day bodily functions is to process and break down the blood, create nutrients, and metabolize drugs into easier and non-toxic forms for the rest of the body to consume. 

Sadly, when it comes to overall health and fitness, the liver doesn’t get its due credit or is often neglected to the point of developing fatty liver (deposition of fats in liver) or other chronic liver diseases.  

The condition is getting severe in India, with nearly 10 lakh patients developing chronic liver diseases every year.  

What you must know about liver health in India 

According to the data published by WHO in 2014, India ranked 61st country, reaching 2.44% of total deaths in the world due to liver conditions.  

The risk of liver diseases is higher in people with obesity, increased cholesterol, and diabetes. As India is heading towards being the diabetic capital of the world, the prevalence of liver diseases may increase in the future.  

How can you know if you have an underlying liver condition 

Well, isn’t there a way to prevent or control chronic liver conditions? Along with proper hydration, a well-balanced diet, regular exercise, and avoiding unhealthy habits, doctors recommend a regular SGPT blood test to obtain and maintain a healthy liver. 

What is the SGPT test 

SGPT test is a blood test performed to measure the enzyme created in the liver called Alanine Transaminase (ALT). The enzyme was formerly known as Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase (SGPT). ALT is measured to check for any liver damage or disease prevalence. Finding a low level of ALT in the blood is normal. However, a level of ALT is released when the liver is damaged or shows the signs of underlying disease.  

What causes high SGPT levels 

A high level of SGPT can either be a by-product of certain medical conditions or side effects of unhealthy lifestyle habits. Some of the reasons include -  

• Alcohol consumption 
• Obesity 
• Diabetes 
• Heart attack 
• Dermatomyositis 
• Acute viral Hepatitis A and B 
• Hepatitis C 
• Gallbladder inflammation  
• Epstein-Barr virus 

How to know of high-level SGPT in your body 

In case of a higher SGPT level, your body will start showing these symptoms - 

• Vomiting or nausea 
• Weakness 
• Fatigue 
• Shortened breathe 
• Swollen legs 
• Excessive bleeding or bruising 
• Jaundice 

If you have been experiencing these symptoms without any known reason, consult your doctor immediately and consider scheduling an SGPT test procedure.  

How can you manage and maintain SGPT levels 

Adopt healthy eating 

And by healthy, we mean a well-balanced diet which is - 

• High in vitamin D 
• Enriched with nutrients, primarily organic plant-based food 
• High antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables 
• Low on salt and sodium-rich food 
• Less fried and junk food 

Regular exercise 

We get it if you are busy enough to hit the gym. However, your body doesn’t ask much to keep the liver and other organs in shape. Even cardio exercises such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming every day can do the job well. Make sure you regularly exercise at least 150 minutes every week. 

Preventive health check-ups 

Prevention is better than cure. 

The age of the COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged us to live and breathe by this mantra. Let’s extend this preventive measure to our other body parts as well. Here’s another reason you must go for preventive SGPT/SGOT tests as the high level of these enzymes may not always show symptoms. Thus, till you start experiencing signs or symptoms, it could already be too late. 

Let’s not wait for the worst when you can prevent it at the initial stages. Consult your family doctor or physician about your liver health and make sure you buy or revise packages with whole body health check up and fitness check-ups for yourself and your family.  

Take the first step – schedule your SGPT test today! You are only one call away.