What is the association between gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels and all-cause and disease-specific mortality?
GGT Liver-Health Test, studied in 9,687,066 subjects (Sci Rep 2023, PMID 36720971) — all-cause mortality increased with higher serum GGT levels (HR 1.05 in the middle tertile, 1.33 in the high tertile). Scope: 9,687,066 subjects, and the abstract states no limitations.
Source: Sci Rep 2023, PMID 36720971 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium
Sci Rep · 2023 · PMID 36720971 · DOI 10.1038/s41598-022-25970-0
Higher GGT levels are linked to an increased risk of death from all causes and specific diseases like heart disease, cancer, respiratory illness, and liver disease.
The question
What is the association between gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels and all-cause and disease-specific mortality?
What they tested
The study aims to examine the association of GGT with all-cause and disease-specific mortality, given inconsistent population-based data.
How they did it
This study used the Korean nationwide database, including 9,687,066 subjects without viral hepatitis or cirrhosis who underwent a health examination in 2009. Subjects were categorized into three groups based on sex-specific tertiles of serum GGT levels. The underlying causes of death were classified using the 10th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases codes. The median follow-up period was 8.3 years.
What they found
During the 8.3-year follow-up, 460,699 deaths were identified. All-cause mortality increased with higher serum GGT levels (HR 1.05 in the middle tertile, 1.33 in the high tertile). Similar trends were observed for cardiovascular disease (HR 1.07 in the middle tertile, 1.29 in the high tertile), cancer (HR 1.08 in the middle tertile, 1.38 in the high tertile), respiratory disease (HR 1.10 in the middle tertile, 1.39 in the high tertile), and liver disease mortality (HR 1.74 in the middle tertile, 6.73 in the high tertile). These associations persisted regardless of smoking, alcohol consumption, and history of previous CVD and cancer.
| All-cause (Middle) | 1.05 | |
|---|---|---|
| All-cause (High) | 1.33 | |
| CVD (Middle) | 1.07 | |
| CVD (High) | 1.29 | |
| Cancer (Middle) | 1.08 | |
| Cancer (High) | 1.38 | |
| Respiratory (Middle) | 1.1 | |
| Respiratory (High) | 1.39 | |
| Liver (Middle) | 1.74 | |
| Liver (High) | 6.73 |
Hazard ratios for all-cause and disease-specific mortality in the middle and high GGT tertiles, compared to the low GGT tertile.
What it means
Higher serum GGT levels are associated with an increased risk of all-cause and disease-specific mortality in the general population. Serum GGT levels may be useful for risk assessment.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state any limitations of the study.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Magellan’s evidence label | Gamma-glutamyl transferase (our label for this citation — see PubMed for the paper’s own title and authors) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Sci Rep |
| Year | 2023 |
| PMID | 36720971 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41598-022-25970-0 ↗ |
| Topic | General aging biology & healthspan |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
This citation sits behind the evidence grade on the pages below. Grades are set from the research and are independent of affiliate commissions.
GGT Liver-Health Test
Large prospective cohorts and meta-analyses consistently link higher serum GGT, even within the reference range, to increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, incident hypertension, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and fatty liver, and some cancers, associations frequently interpreted through GGT's…
Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is a cell-surface enzyme found mainly in the liver that initiates the…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). What is the association between gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels and all-cause and disease-specific mortality? [Plain-English summary of Sci Rep 2023, PMID 36720971, DOI 10.1038/s41598-022-25970-0]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s156.html@misc{magellan_s156,
title = {What is the association between gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels and all-cause and disease-specific mortality?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s156.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 36720971; DOI 10.1038/s41598-022-25970-0; Sci Rep 2023. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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