Whether exercising regularly or doing intensive exercise on weekends, it can effectively reduce the risk of fatty liver and cirrhosis.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has become the most common liver disease in the world, affecting approximately 25%-30% of the population. NAFLD may not only develop into cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, but is also closely associated with the development of cardiovascular disease. As there are currently limited targeted treatments for the disease, identifying more modifiable risk factors is critical for the prevention and management of NAFLD.

Physical activity (PA) is an important and modifiable lifestyle behavior. Guidelines from the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) per week. However, in modern society, people often find it difficult to maintain regular exercise due to time constraints. Some people choose to concentrate their exercise on weekends and are called "weekend warriors" . No studies have yet investigated the effects of MVPA and its different modes ("weekend warrior" or regular exercise) on different liver diseases.

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In response to the above clinical problems, the National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Diseases of Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University conducted relevant research, and the research results were published in the journal BMC Medicine . The results show that whether it is regular exercise within a week or intensive exercise concentrated on 1-2 days a week, increasing the level of MVPA can effectively reduce the risk of various liver diseases.

The study included 88,656 participants without previous liver disease, and their exercise levels were measured by wearing accelerometers. According to the exercise standards recommended by the guidelines (MVPA greater than or equal to 150 minutes/week), the study divided the population into three groups, including an infrequent exercise group (MVPA less than 150 minutes/week), a "weekend warrior" exercise group (MVPA greater than or equal to 150 minutes/week, and more than or equal to 50% of the total MVPA was completed within 1-2 days) and a regular exercise group (greater than or equal to 150 minutes/week, but not an active "weekend warrior").

During a median follow-up of 6.8 years, a total of 562 participants developed NAFLD. The study found:

1. Total MVPA was negatively correlated with new-onset NAFLD . When MVPA was < 208 minutes/week, increasing MVPA by 100 minutes per week could reduce the risk of NAFLD by 32%; while when MVPA was ≥ 208 minutes/week, increasing MVPA by 100 minutes per week only reduced the risk of NAFLD by 9% (Figure 1). This indicates that exercising for 200 minutes per week can basically achieve the best effect in preventing the occurrence of NAFLD.

Figure 1 Association between MVPA and new-onset NAFLD

2. Regardless of whether it is the "weekend warrior" exercise pattern or the regular exercise pattern, as the MVPA duration increases, the risk of NAFLD shows a similar downward trend (Figure 2). The benefits of the regular exercise pattern are slightly higher than those of the "weekend warrior" exercise pattern.

Figure 2 Association between MVPA and new-onset NAFLD in different exercise modes

2.1 Compared with the group that did not exercise regularly, the "weekend warrior" exercise group had a significantly reduced risk of NAFLD by 45%, a significantly reduced risk of severe liver disease (cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer) by 25%, a significantly reduced risk of cirrhosis by 20%, a significantly reduced risk of hepatic steatosis by 26%, and a significantly reduced risk of liver fibrosis by 38%.

2.2 Compared with the group that did not exercise regularly, the risk of NAFLD in the regular exercise group was significantly reduced by 51%, the risk of severe liver disease (cirrhosis, liver death and liver cancer) was significantly reduced by 24%, the risk of cirrhosis was significantly reduced by 24%, the risk of hepatic fatty degeneration was significantly reduced by 40%, and the risk of liver fibrosis was significantly reduced by 52%.

This study showed a significant negative correlation between MVPA measured by accelerometer and new-onset NAFLD , emphasizing the importance of increased exercise for the prevention of liver disease. Further research has shown that concentrating MVPA within 1-2 days or spreading it out over a week can significantly reduce the risk of various liver diseases . Therefore, the most important thing is still to stand up, move, be energetic, and be healthier!

(The picture comes from the Internet, the copyright belongs to the original author)

References:

Liu M, Ye Z, Zhang Y, He P, Zhou C, Yang S , Zhang Y, Gan X, Qin

Editor | Cai Xianglian Chen Dan

Audit | Qin Xianhui Zhang Yuanyuan