About AST
AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase) is an enzyme found in liver cells, heart muscle, skeletal muscle, and red blood cells — so it is less liver-specific than ALT and rises in a wider range of conditions. Elevated AST can indicate liver injury but also muscle damage from intense exercise, a heart attack, or hemolysis. The AST-to-ALT ratio is diagnostically significant: a ratio above 2 strongly suggests alcohol-related liver disease, even before other markers are obviously abnormal.