In a new study from Western Sydney University, researchers found that both high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) are effective for improving non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
One of the most prevalent liver diseases in the world, affecting approximately 20-30% of the population, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized as excess fat accumulation in the liver of people without excessive alcohol intake.
The increasing burden of obesity and metabolic syndrome are attributed to its high prevalence and its emergence as a serious health problem, as well as its potential to cause cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Due to the lack of effective therapies, lifestyle interventions targeting weight loss continue to be the primary approach for the management of NAFLD.
In the study, the team screened over 28,000 studies, with the primary analysis including 19 studies, involving 745 adult participants.
They found that both HIIT and MICT resulted in strong and meaningful liver fat reduction.
Additionally, HIIT workouts (characterized by bouts of high-intensity aerobic exercise alternating with rest periods), were just as effective when compared to MICT workouts (traditional aerobic exercise training) in reducing liver fat despite requiring less time and energy.
The authors say the research has practical recommendations and implications for clinical practice and could contribute to reducing NAFLD.
The team says that regular aerobic exercise was an important management intervention, whether HIIT or MICT, and that if left untreated, NAFLD can lead to serious complications.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a predictor of metabolic disorders, closely linked to the development and severity of various diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
This review demonstrates the importance of regular aerobic exercise as an effective therapy in those at risk, with both HIIT and MICT found to improve liver fat to similar degrees.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about simple habit that could give you a healthy liver, and findings of common diabetes drug that may reverse liver inflammation.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about simple blood test that could detect your risk of fatty liver disease, and results showing this green diet may strongly lower non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. One author of the study is Dr. Angelo Sabag.
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