Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder worldwide, affecting as much as a quarter of humanity.
It is characterized by fat accumulation in liver cells and may progress to inflammation, cirrhosis and liver failure.
In a new study from the University of Tsukuba, researchers found the positive effects, beyond the expected weight-loss benefit, of exercise on the liver.
NAFLD is associated with unhealthy behaviors such as overeating and a sedentary lifestyle.
Weight reduction is fundamental to NAFLD management. Unfortunately, achieving a targeted bodyweight without supervision is difficult, and maintaining this over time is even more so.
Hitherto, exercise was considered adjunctive to dietary restrictions for weight loss but the other benefits such as reduced fatty change and stiffness are being increasingly recognized.
In the study, the team compared data from obese Japanese men with NAFLD on a 3-month exercise regimen with those on dietary restriction targeting weight loss.
They found that exercise preserved muscle mass better, though with a modest decrease of body and fat mass.
The exercise regimen reduced liver steatosis by an additional 9.5%, liver stiffness by an additional 6.8%, and the FibroScan-AST Score (a measure of liver fibrosis) by an additional 16.4% over the weight-loss regimen.
Additionally, the exercise regimen apparently induced anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress responses to an oxidative stress sensor. It also helped maintain liver function.
The research shows how exercise prevents liver steatosis and fibrosis in NAFLD and clarifies that this benefit is compounded by the preservation of muscle mass and is independent of weight changes.
The team says patients on exercise regimens may become demotivated and drop out if they do not experience significant weight loss.
Therefore, moderate to vigorous-intensity exercise should be integrated in all NAFLD therapeutic regimens, and patients at risk for NASH should be encouraged to persevere with moderate to high-intensity exercise regardless of whether or not they lose weight.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about this drug may help protect against liver damage, obesity and findings of what you eat plays a big role in chronic liver disease, liver cancer.
For more information about liver disease, please see recent studies about time-restricted eating may protect your liver health, blood sugar and results showing that researchers find a major cause of fatty liver disease, leaky gut.
The study is published in JHEP Reports. One author of the study is Professor Junichi Shoda.
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