The benefits of exercise are well known, but now researchers have determined how many weekly minutes of movement can help protect against a common form of liver disease.
Around one in five people in the UK are thought to be living with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) – formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The condition, which isn’t caused by alcohol intake but diet, is when there is an excess buildup of fat in the liver. It has been linked to an increased risk of liver cancer, type-2 diabetes and heart attack.
MASLD has long been linked with obesity, but up until now it hasn’t been clear which type of exercise can help prevent potentially deadly fat from building up and stop the disease from progressing.
Now researchers, who cross-analysed 24 studies, say engaging in just 30 minutes of exercise a week – combining aerobic exercises with strength-training – is enough to produce clinically meaningful improvements in the condition, which is estimated to affect one in three Britons.
Dr Chunxiang Qin, a clinical professor from Central South University and study co-author, said: ‘Combined aerobic and resistance exercise holds both therapeutic and dosage advantages for reducing hepatic steatosis.’
Hepatic steatosis refers to the accumulation of fat in the liver, which can lead to inflammation, increasing the risk of scarring and eventually liver failure.
Dr Qin continued: ‘Together this may harness the complementary and synergistic effects of aerobic and resistance exercise to deliver more comprehensive benefits than either type alone.’
Just half-an-hour of moderate intensity exercise a week is enough to start making meaningful changes, experts say
The researchers pooled data from 12 Chinese and English databases, including 24 studies in their final analysis, to ascertain which exercise type is most effective for reducing fat-build up.
They found – up to a point – a combination of moderate intensity aerobic exercise and strength training can help reduce fat build-up.
Specifically, just five sessions a week of moderate intensity exercise lasting around 20 minutes resulted in clinically meaningful improvements.
After just under an hour-and-a-half of vigorous intensity exercise, such as cycling a week, benefits begin to plateau – with around three hours a week of moderate intensity exercise providing the maximum benefits.
Publishing their findings in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, the team noted different types of exercise had different optimal doses for reducing liver fat, suggesting more is not always better.
They concluded a mix of cardio and strength training – equalling around 2.5 hours of moderate exercise or 1.5 hours of vigorous exercise per week – is the ‘optimal prescription’ for patients with MASLD.
The researchers said their findings underscore the need for early identification, with severity of the disease directly affecting how effective exercise is.
For those who are forced to lead a more sedentary lifestyle due to other health conditions, the researchers recommend three months of low-dose exercise intervention to help support liver function.
Liver disease occurs when the vital organ, which removes toxins from the blood, stops working properly
The new findings align with existing research which suggests the disease is driven by obesity and poor diet.
Liver disease occurs when the vital organ, which removes toxins from the blood, stops working properly. For some, this can be triggered by excessive drinking, which eventually scars the liver.
But for a growing number, poor diet and obesity are to blame.
Caught early, the condition can be reversed, typically through diet changes and exercise. But experts say many patients are diagnosed at a stage when the liver is irreversibly damaged. When this happens, the condition can trigger organ failure and death.
Liver disease, in all its forms, is now the second most common cause of preventable deaths in the UK, after cancer.
At present, around 80 per cent of those affected remain undiagnosed, as the disease often has no obvious symptoms.
