A new study by Penn State College of Medicine has established that the US Department of Health and Human Services recommended mild-to-intense weekly aerobic exercise of 150 minutes can considerably reduce liver fat. The researchers analyzed 14 past studies confirming that exercise results in clinically significant liver fat reductions in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients.
Although past studies have pointed to the benefits of physical activity, they have not determined the level of exercise necessary for a clinically meaningful outcome.
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Centre herpetologist and associate professor of medicine and public health sciences Jonathan Stine stated that the findings could provide the required confidence for physicians to prescribe physical activity as a NAFLD treatment.
He added that with a set exercise target, it would be easy for exercise professionals and health care providers to create tailored approaches to helping patients with lifestyle modifications and being physically active.
Around 30% of the world’s population suffers from NAFLD, which may result in cancer and cirrhosis or liver scarring over time. Currently, there is no effective treatment or licensed medication for this widespread ailment, but studies indicate that physical activity can enhance patients’ well-being, physical fitness, and liver fat.
Stine claims that past studies had not determined the “amount” of exercise necessary to enable individuals with NAFLD to experience clinically significant improvement, a minimum of 30% decrease in liver fat as measured through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The study evaluated the relationship between physical activity and clinically meaningful liver fat improvement. Researchers established that exercise was 2 ½ more likely to deliver significant clinical response relative to the standard of clinical care.
In a secondary analysis, researchers established the standard exercise dose necessary for clinically significant liver fat improvement. They established that 150 minutes of physical activity per week is enough to attain considerable treatment response relative to less exercise.