After 2.5 years of elevated liver values due to social drinking:
how Marleen lowered her ALAT from 84 to 31
A glass of wine with dinner, a drink on Friday — for Marleen Brinkjes, that was normal. Until her GP discovered elevated liver values during a routine check. This report follows her blood values over 30 months: what went wrong, why, and how it got better.
What changed — at a glance
Marleen drank an average of 6–8 glasses of wine per week. Not excessive by her own standards, but enough to slowly raise her liver values. Her GP pointed this out during a routine check in March 2022. She cut back a bit, but the values remained elevated.
After 18 months without clear improvement, she decided to take a different approach. In September 2023, she started Livera Shield — a daily capsule with NAC, milk thistle extract, and BoccShield®. Fifteen months later, all three of her liver values were back within normal ranges.
| Value | Mar 2022 (before) | Dec 2024 (after) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALAT (U/L) | 84 | 31 | −63% |
| ASAT (U/L) | 61 | 28 | −54% |
| GGT (U/L) | 79 | 33 | −58% |
"I always thought a few glasses of wine per week couldn’t really harm me. My GP also said it was 'not that bad.' But my blood values told a different story — and that continued, year after year, until I changed something." — Marleen Brinkjes, 44 years old, Nijmegen
Why alcohol raises your liver values
When you drink alcohol, your liver breaks down ethanol through a two-step process. First, ethanol is converted into acetaldehyde — a toxic intermediate that directly damages liver cells. Then, acetaldehyde is converted into acetic acid, a relatively harmless substance.
The problem: with regular alcohol use, the liver’s glutathione (GSH) reserves become depleted. Glutathione is the liver’s main antioxidant and essential for neutralizing acetaldehyde. Without enough GSH, acetaldehyde accumulates and causes oxidative stress — leading to elevated ALAT, ASAT, and GGT.
ALAT and ASAT are enzymes normally inside your liver cells. When liver cells are damaged by oxidative stress, they leak into the blood — the higher the value, the more damage. GGT is a specific marker for alcohol-related liver damage and rises even with regular use, even if you otherwise feel fine.
Think of it as a smoke detector in your liver. If it goes off, something is wrong — even if you don’t feel a fire yet.
| Enzyme | Normal value | Clinical significance when elevated |
|---|---|---|
| ALAT (U/L) | < 45 | Hepatocellular damage; specific to liver |
| ASAT (U/L) | < 40 | Liver and muscle damage; less specific |
| GGT (U/L) | < 55 | Alcohol-related liver damage; bile duct problems |
| Glutathione (GSH) | > 60 µmol/L | Liver antioxidant capacity; decreases with alcohol use |
5 blood tests over 30 months
The table below shows the full measurement series of Marleen Brinkjes. Values above the normal limit are marked in red; values within normal are green. Supplementation with Livera Shield started in September 2023.
| Date | ALAT (<45) | ASAT (<40) | GGT (<55) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2022 | 84 | 61 | 79 | Baseline — 6–8 glasses/week |
| Jul 2022 | 91 | 67 | 88 | Slight increase; GP advises reduction |
| Jan 2023 | 87 | 63 | 82 | Complaints: fatigue, bloating |
| Sep 2023 | 85 | 62 | 80 | Start Livera Shield (NAC 400mg, Silymarin 120mg, BoccShield® 70mg) |
| Dec 2023 | 52 | 41 | 57 | Clear improvement; less fatigue |
| Jun 2024 | 31 | 28 | 33 | All values within normal range |
What Marleen used — and why it works
Marleen started in September 2023 with Livera Shield — 2 capsules per day, in the evening before bedtime. She did not significantly change her drinking habits during the test period.
The protocol combines four clinically studied ingredients, each targeting a different link in the liver stress chain:
Livera Shield — clinically supported liver support
Livera Shield is the only Dutch liver supplement that combines all four clinically studied ingredients in therapeutic dosages. No fillers, no unnecessary additives.
90 capsules — 45 days supply
| Ingredient | Average supplement | Livera Shield |
|---|---|---|
| NAC | 150–200 mg | 400 mg |
| Silymarin | 50–80 mg | 120 mg |
| BoccShield® / Sulforaphane | ✗ not present | ✓ 70 mg |
| Piperine (absorption) | ✗ not present | ✓ 10 mg |
| Clinically supported dosage | ✗ | ✓ |
What this case does and does not demonstrate
This is an observational follow-up of one person, not a randomized controlled trial. The improvement in liver values is documented and consistent with the expected pharmacological action of the ingredients used, but causality cannot be established.
Marleen slightly reduced her alcohol consumption during the study period (from 6–8 to 4–6 glasses per week), which is a confounding factor. Other lifestyle changes were not systematically recorded.
The results of the referenced clinical studies (see references) come from larger populations and provide a stronger basis for the efficacy of the individual ingredients.
- Mokhtari V, et al. (2017). A review on various uses of N-acetyl cysteine. Cell Journal, 19(1), 11–17.
- Haber PS, et al. (2003). Pathogenesis and management of alcoholic hepatitis. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 18(12), 1332–1344.
- Zhong S, et al. (2017). Silymarin in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
- Houghton CA, et al. (2016). Sulforaphane and other nutrigenomic Nrf2 activators: can the clinician's expectation be matched by the reality? Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity.
- Bhardwaj RK, et al. (2002). Piperine, a major constituent of black pepper, inhibits human P-glycoprotein and CYP3A4. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 302(2), 645–650.