Impact of chronic khat chewing on liver function tests and fasting blood glucose levels among adult male khat chewers

Abstract

Khat (Catha edulis) has been widely chewed in the Middle East and Eastern Africa, particularly in Ethiopia. However, its potential adverse effects are not investigated in well-controlled, community-based studies. Therefore, this study assessed the impact of khat chewing on blood glucose and liver function tests. A community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 adult male chronic khat chewers and 100 non-khat chewers in Dilla Town, Southern Ethiopia, from June to September 2023. Serum fasting blood glucose and liver function parameters, including aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase, total protein and total and direct bilirubin, were analysed using an automated clinical chemistry analyser (EXL 200 Siemens, Germany). Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and spearman correlation analyses were performed as appropriate. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Khat chewers had higher aminotransferase enzyme levels (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase) and fasting blood glucose than non-khat chewers (p = 0.007, p = < 0.001, and p = 0.002, respectively). Khat chewers' alanine aminotransferase levels were positively correlated with chewing frequency (days/week), duration (in years), and dose, with Spearman's rho (p) values of 0.488 (< 0.001), 0.679 (< 0.001), and 0.323 (< 0.001) respectively, and duration of khat chewing had a positive correlation with fasting blood glucose with Spearman's rho (p) values of 0.282 (0.004). The present findings indicated that aminotransferase enzymes and fasting blood glucose levels were significantly higher among khat chewers than non khat chewers. Dose, duration, and frequency of khat chewing also had a positive correlation with aminotransferases and fasting blood glucose levels.