The influence of body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and physical activity on serum GGT in college drinkers

Author

Gillian MackeyFollow

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Date of Graduation

Spring 2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Department

Department of Kinesiology

Advisor(s)

Christopher J. Womack

Stephanie P. Kurti

Jessica G. Irons

Abstract

Purpose: To test the effect of body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and physical activity levels on serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) among college students who consume alcohol. Methods: Seven male and nine female subjects over 21 years old completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification (AUDIT), a maximal treadmill test to measure maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max), a DEXA scan for body fat percentage, and a venous blood draw for serum GGT. In addition, subjects were assessed with respect to average daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) via continuously worn (while awake) accelerometer for one week. Subjects were grouped based on AUDIT scores [ > 8= high alcohol intake (n = 9); < 8 = low alcohol intake (n = 7)] and compared with respect to outcome variables using a series of independent t-test. Correlations between serum GGT and other outcome variables were established using Pearson correlation coefficients in the higher AUDIT group. Results: No significant differences were found between lower and higher AUDIT groups with respect to average (± SD) VO_2max (62.37 ± 11.09 vs. 62.02 ± 5.16 ml/kg FFM/min), average MVPA (45.15 ± 23.55 vs. 49.99 ± 16.82 minutes/day), body fat % (26.7 ± 8.0 vs. 22.9 ± 4.1 %) and serum GGT (13.93 ± 1.96 vs. 15.94 ± 3.33 U/L). For the higher AUDIT group, there was no correlation between serum GGT and VO_2max or body fat %, but there was a trend towards a negative correlation between average daily MVPA and serum GGT (r = -0.65, p = 0.06). Conclusion: Findings suggest that chronic physical activity has a positive impact on serum GGT in individuals with high AUDIT scores. These findings warrant further investigation with larger sample size.

Recommended Citation

Mackey, Gillian, "The influence of body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and physical activity on serum GGT in college drinkers" (2019). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 695.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/695