How long should an adult not consume alcohol prior to having a GGT and a carbohydrate-deficient transferrin blood test? The doctor is testing for enzyme levels in a 56 year old adult male.

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Originally Posted by oysterman

How long should an adult not consume alcohol prior to having a GGT and a carbohydrate-deficient transferrin blood test? The doctor is testing for enzyme levels in a 56 year old adult male.

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It generally takes 4-5 weeks for GGT (Gamma-glutamyl transferase) to return to normal. It's an enzyme that becomes elevated in response to chronic heavy drinking, usually 4 or more drinks per day for 4 to 8 weeks significantly raises levels of the blood protein. The test is seen as having low sensitivity and moderate specificity for alcohol use. Blood Testing

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is another blood protein that increases in concentration with heavy alcohol consumption. CDT values become elevated substantially earlier (1 to 2 weeks) in response to prolonged excessive drinking than GGT. GGT and CDT are approximately equal in their ability to identify alcoholism. However, few conditions other than heavy drinking will elevate CDT levels, decreasing the probability of false positives. Disadvantages include lower sensitivity in women and adolescents, and the high cost of the laboratory analysis.

Ref:
NIH
Arndt