The research initiated by Dr Jacob George and colleagues from the Westmead Hospital at the University of Sydney in Australia analyzed 19 obese people with an inactive lifestyle for a month.
Participants who exercised more were found to have lost 12 percent stomach fat on an average, which led to a decrease in their chances of developing NAFLD.
“Our observation of the beneficial effect of regular exercise itself on liver and abdominal fat should refocus the debate on the role of physical activity in the prevention and management of obesity and fatty liver disease,” the researchers added.
Improved cardio-respiratory fitness through regular exercising
12 participants did aerobic cycling exercise for the four weeks that they were kept for observation, and rest of the 7 participants did regular stretching exercises.
Baseline measurements to note the hepatic triglyceride concentration (HTGC), hepatic lipid saturation index (SI), intramyocellular triglyceride (IMTG) levels and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), cardio respiratory fitness, blood biochemistry and body height and weight were done on the participants before and after the study.
Researchers found a 21 percent decrease in HTGC in those participants who were subject to regular exercise.
Dr Jacob George, MD of the Westmead Hospital says, “Our data provides the first direct experimental evidence that regular aerobic exercise reduces fatty liver in obesity without concurrent changes in body weight or abdominal fat.”
“Further studies of the long-term benefit of routine physical activity on lowering HTGC and its impact on obesity and NAFLD should be explored," Dr. George concludes.
Understanding NAFLD
The Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease occurs when excessive fat gets accumulated in the liver of alcoholic or non-alcoholic individuals. This extra fat causes many serious liver problems and can also lead to failing of the liver.
This disease can also lead to development of kidney and colon
cancers due to accumulation of excessive fat in the abdominal region of the body. Past research confirms that among fat people, 30 percent suffer from NAFLD at the moment.
The study and its findings have been published in the October edition of ‘Hepatology’, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
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