How 150 minutes of exercise a week can reduce your risk

This new study It was published American Journal of Gastroenterology. This study, a meta-analysis of 14 previously published studies, examined data from a total of 551 people surveyed, all with her NAFLD, who were randomized and controlled. enrolled in an exercise intervention. According to the press release.

The data included a variety of information from participants in different studies, including age, gender, BMI, weight change over time, MRI-measured liver fat, and keeping up with prescribed exercise. ability is considered. Given study regimen.

They found that exercise was 3.5 times more likely to result in a relative reduction of 30% or more in MRI-measured liver fat levels compared to standard non-exercise-focused treatment for NAFLD.

Furthermore, their secondary analysis was to specifically determine that the best ‘dose’ of physical activity led to clinically meaningful improvements in liver fat levels.

result?

The team’s analysis found that 39% of those prescribed “750 Metabolic Equivalents or higher” (think brisk walking for 150 minutes a week) had a “significant therapeutic response.” compared to only 26% of those prescribed. Those prescribed a lesser exercise regimen.

The researchers noted that this 150-minute standard for moderate weekly physical activity is the same activity recommended by the European Society of Hepatology as well as the American Society of Gastroenterology. increase.

“Entering this study, it was widely accepted that exercise training effectively reduced liver fat. We did not expect that exercise training was 3.5 times more likely to achieve clinically meaningful reductions,” said the lead study author. Dr. Jonathan Steinassociate professor of medicine and public health sciences and a transplant liver specialist at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania, told Healthline.

When asked about the broader implications of his research, Stine said that exercise is key to the clinical management of NAFLD and “should be discussed at every medical visit, both in primary care and specialist settings. ” explained.

“Our study addresses this important topic by suggesting that the goal of exercise training in patients with NAFLD is not to lose weight, but to improve NAFLD, strength, and overall health. It highlights new ways to approach it,” Stine said.

There are two types of NAFLD, and this fatty liver tissue accumulates over time without excessive alcohol consumption.

You have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFL), where fat collects in the liver with little or no inflammation or liver damage. does not cause

This can lead to an enlarged liver and pain. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDKK).

Another form is nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), when the liver becomes inflamed and damaged. This can lead to scarring or fibrosis in the liver and can also lead to cirrhosis, which can eventually lead to liver cancer.

Usually one type of NAFLD can develop into another, but some people start with one type and are later diagnosed with another, according to NIDKK.

They report that NAFLD is one of the most common causes of liver disease in the United States, with the majority of people diagnosed with NAFLD. It is estimated that 24% of his adults nationwide have NAFLD and 1.5% to 6.5% have NASH.

NAFLD affects about 30% of the US population, including children. D.r.J.aMiles Wakim Fleming,
The director of the Cleveland Clinic’s fatty liver disease medical home program told Healthline.

Wakim-Fleming, independent of the Pennsylvania State University study, says NAFLD is twice as common as it was 15 to 20 years ago.

“It continues to rise and is exacerbated by the COVID epidemic. Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments for fatty liver,” she explained. “Diagnosis requires imaging studies, non-invasive markers to detect liver fat and fibrosis, and possibly liver biopsy.”

When asked what was the best way to treat it, in addition to or outside of the recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week, she generally said that diet and/or exercise are “treatments for fatty liver”. It is effective for

Additionally, there are medications that reduce inflammation in the liver and weight loss methods that help you lose weight and reduce “excess fat throughout the body and from the liver.”

Stein said a Mediterranean-based diet, high in fruits, vegetables, breads, grains, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds, and incorporating olive oil as the main source of fat, contributes to a reduction in liver fat.

“this [diet] Additional consumption of green polyphenols, such as those found in Mankai and walnuts, could probably increase it.

When asked about the effectiveness of the type of exercise behavior outlined in this recent study, Wakim-Fleming said that combining weight loss with diet and exercise traditionally improves fat and stiffness or fibrosis in the liver. said to have been reported.

Loss of approximately 5% and over 10% of body weight “is associated with fat loss and regression of liver fibrosis and has been recommended by most academic societies,” she said.

“A recent body of evidence has begun to show that exercise alone is associated with liver benefits. mechanism of action. [a cytokine that works to regulate the an organ’s cells] It throws off balance and reduces inflammation and oxidative stress,” Wakim-Fleming added. “Basically, the body that exercises uses energy from carbohydrate and fat stores at longer intervals. is.”

Stine says exercise is a useful tool in the treatment of NAFLD because it “stimulates many different biological pathways simultaneously and perhaps synergistically.”

He explained that all exercise programs result in a person’s body getting used to the regimen as the training progresses.

Exercise “modifies the pathways in the body that are involved in adipogenesis by down-regulating and reducing the amount of fat produced and stored in the liver, offering the potential to alter the gut-liver axis.” , which can lead to a reduction in liver fat, altering the bacteria found in a person’s gut and the products these bacteria produce,” Stine added.

For readers wondering if exercise is the way to go, Stein said this type of physical activity changes how the body responds to insulin.

This will improve “insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity” and can be expected to reduce liver fat.

Wakim-Fleming notes that studies don’t always agree on how much physical activity is recommended to affect liver fat. You made a few points about the minute markers. She said some people point to an upper limit of 300 minutes each week.

But what specific exercises work best? She suggested simple cardio, such as going for a walk.

Moderate-intensity resistance training, reaching 70% of your maximum heart rate, is also “beneficial in losing fat and building muscle, another fat burner,” adds Wakim-Fleming.

“The advantage of aerobic exercise is that it is sustained and can be done for 30 minutes or more, but strenuous exercise such as weightlifting usually does not last long.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach, says Stine.In this case, physical activity of moderate intensity is suitable.