GGT (Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase)
Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · Evidence-graded review — see Methodology
A liver and biliary enzyme that already sits inside most standard liver panels, sensitive to alcohol intake and hepatic oxidative stress. It rises with alcohol use, cholestasis and oxidative stress, and some cohort studies associate elevated GGT — even within the “normal” range — with cardiometabolic risk and all-cause mortality, plausibly as a marker of oxidative stress or of alcohol intake that was never disclosed.
Well validated as a component of a cholestatic liver injury workup and as an alcohol-use marker. The independent “longevity marker” association, beyond that established role in standard liver assessment, is observational, non-specific, and has not been incorporated into any major risk calculator or guideline as a standalone target.
Singapore guidance
Not covered in the current review
Singapore’s national screening committee has not reviewed this test in the current volume of its report, which covers nine conditions. That is not a verdict either way.
Source: Screening Test Review Committee report 2026, Volume 1 (Academy of Medicine Singapore and Ministry of Health, February 2026). The full national list · How this is used.
What you would actually pay
- Healthier SG
- Not subsidised
- MediSave
- Not among the screenings named for outpatient claims
Source: Healthier SG Screening (HealthHub) and MediSave outpatient care (Ministry of Health). Absence from either list is not a statement that the test is discouraged — only that no subsidy or claim applies. Gross prices compared.
What it costs when it is wrong
- Basis
- No published harm criterion found
- Severity
- Not documented
Not covered in the current volume of the committee’s report, so no harm criterion was found either way.
An empty finding, not a clean bill of health: this means nothing documented was found for this test. It is not a claim that the test is safe.
Screening harm is not only a laboratory question: the committee’s own criteria advise against a test when “the screening test, or follow-up tests arising from a positive screen, are associated with significant medical risks”. Sources on overdiagnosis → · How this is graded.
FAQ
Is the GGT (Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase) worth doing in Singapore?
GGT (Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase) holds a weak evidence grade under our screening rubric. It is most appropriate for liver/biliary symptom workup, alcohol-use assessment — not a standalone longevity screen. It typically costs S$10–15 in Singapore. It is used as part of a standard liver panel — not meaningfully additive as a standalone test.
Weighing this against something else? Compare it with two other tests → · Price it inside a panel →