ALP releases phosphate
Biomarker library
Liver Health
ALP
ALP (alkaline phosphatase) is an enzyme made mainly in the bile ducts of the liver and in the cells that build bone.
Measured in your health assessment, with a doctor to explain your result. Book yours
Why it matters
It rises when bile flow is obstructed or when bone is being remodelled quickly, so other tests are used to find the source: a raised GGT points to the liver, while a high ALP with a normal GGT points to bone.
What a result can mean
Lower than the range
A low ALP is uncommon and can be seen with low zinc or magnesium, poor nutrition and rare inherited conditions.
Higher than the range
Liver causes include blocked bile ducts and some medicines; bone causes include growth spurts in teenagers, healing fractures, vitamin D deficiency and Paget's disease. It rises naturally in late pregnancy because the placenta makes it.
What can help
The answer depends on the source, for example correcting vitamin D deficiency, or investigating the bile ducts when GGT is raised as well.
Read it with
NoteGeneral educational illustration. Colours, sizes and movement are simplified. This is not a scan or a simulation of your body. General information, not personal medical advice: a doctor reads your own results with your history.
Know your ALP.
Measured in your health assessment and explained by the doctor who reviews your results.