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in collaboration with
Alexandra Murcier (Liberal dietitian-nutritionist)
Medical validation:
March 10, 2023
According to a new study, doing several hours of sport per week would significantly reduce the level of fat in people affected by fatty liver disease.
In France, nearly 200,000 people are affected by fatty liver disease, also called “non-alcoholic fatty liver disease” or “NASH”. To overcome this disease, several treatments are possible, including practicing regular physical activity.
However, according to a new study published in the journal The American Journal of Gastroenterology, aerobic exercises seem particularly effective.
150 minutes of brisk walking per week
To test this theory, the researchers recruited 551 candidates, all of whom had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Some of them had to follow a specific physical training and the others not.
The primary endpoint was a relative reduction (-30%) in liver fat measured by MRI.
Result ? Candidates who exercised were more likely to achieve a reduction in liver fat than those in the control group.
More specifically, 39% of candidates who were prescribed 150 minutes of sport per week (equivalent to brisk walking) saw their level of metabolic fat drop compared to only 26% of candidates who did little sport.
In total, the physical training was “3.5 times more likely to achieve a clinically meaningful response to liver fat treatment measured by MRI compared to standard clinical care“, says the study.
These results therefore confirm themany benefits of exerciseon the weight and liver fat of patients with fatty liver disease.
“As in any metabolic pathology, sport is interesting. It helps regulate blood sugar, cholesterol, fat levels… These results therefore confirm what we already know.“, notes Alexandra Murcier, dietitian-nutritionist.
Regarding the amount of sport recommended (here 2h30 per week), “this indication may discourage some. When you’re not used to playing sports, that may seem like a lot. I therefore recommend rather to set accessible objectives, to keep the “pleasure” aspect of the sport and to fight against a sedentary lifestyle on a daily basis by walking and avoiding the stairs”, concludes the expert.