Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease, according to recent reports.
And its main trigger? Being obese or diabetic–two common problems prevalent in the western world.
Luckily, there’s one easy way to improve it, according to new research reported in the Journal of Hepatology.
By just doing two specific aerobic exercise regimens, researchers say you can reduce liver and visceral fat in your body, reducing the severity of NAFLD–and lowering your risk of chronic liver disease in the process.
In addition, exercise in general can help improve this condition.
“The results from our study show that all exercise doses, irrespective of volume or intensity, were efficacious in reducing liver fat and visceral fat by an amount that was clinically significant, in previously inactive, overweight, or obese adults compared with placebo,” says Nathan Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney in Australia and lead researcher of the study. “These changes were observed without clinically significant weight loss.”
The Study
Examining several different exercise programs, researchers had overweight and obese participants try four different programs, varying the volume and intensity of the workouts. Most of the workouts were aerobic exercises, according to researchers.
After eight weeks on each prospective program, researchers measured their liver and visceral fat, which often are associated with NAFLD. These types of fat are also prevalent in obese and overweight individuals.
As it turned out, these exercise programs reduced their liver fat by as much as 29 percent, regardless of which exercise they performed. Their visceral fat also decreased, even if they didn’t lose weight.
The biggest reductions were seen for those who exercised with high intensity and low volume or low intensity and high volume, however.
“There is good quality evidence to support that regular exercise is beneficial in reducing the risk of NAFLD,” says Rohit Loomba, M.D., M.H.Sc., a scientist from the Division of Gastroenterology and Epidemiology at the University of California San Diego. “In addition, both aerobic and resistance training regimens are equally effective in reducing liver fat in individuals with NAFLD even in the absence of weight loss.”
Regardless of which exercise is the most effective, however, experts say it’s just important to stay active. But why? For starters, not only can it reduce your risk of chronic liver disease, it can also reduce factors that contribute to this disease, such as obesity and diabetes.
So reap these rewards now–and start being active.
“We found no difference between exercise regimens for these benefits,” says Jacob George, Ph.D., M.B.B.S., Professor of Hepatic Medicine at the University of Sydney in Australia.
Readers: How do you like to stay physically active?
Source:
Exercise Improves Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, New Study Indicates – ScienceDaily.com
Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training Dose on Liver Fat and Visceral Adiposity (Study) – Journal-of-Hepatology.eu
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