Effect of Progressive Resistance Exercise Training on Hepatic Fat in Asian Indians with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Exercise Training as Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

“…Seven randomized controlled trials and two non-randomized controlled trials measured the effects of resistance training in NAFLD [10,11,23,[39][40][41][42][43][44]. Six studies used machine-based resistance training; one resistance machines and body weight; one utilized solely the participant's body weight; and, one weighted-belts [10,11,23,[39][40][41][42][43][44].…”

“…Six studies used machine-based resistance training; one resistance machines and body weight; one utilized solely the participant's body weight; and, one weighted-belts [10,11,23,[39][40][41][42][43][44]. Of the six studies, two utilized hypertrophy protocols; one study did not specify the % 1-Repetition Maximum (RM) used; two did not mention the amount of repetitions prescribed; and, one did not specify the type of resistance training prescribed [10,11,23,39,42].…”

“…Most studies followed the general recommendation to increase resistance weight by 2-10% after one or two repetitions completed over the prescribed amount; however, three studies maintained resistance throughout the intervention [14,23,42,44]. Intervention durations have ranged from eight weeks to six months, with the most common duration as 12 weeks [10,11,[39][40][41][42][43][44]. Resistance training protocols were conducted three times per week on nonconsecutive days to allow adequate time for muscle recovery and to minimize overtraining.…”

“…However, caution should be used when interpreting ALT and AST levels following resistance training; a previous study found significantly elevated liver enzymes up to seven days post-weightlifting in 15 men [45]. Five studies have indicated that resistance training reduces hepatic fat content 4% to 47.2%, with three trials indicating reductions independent of weight loss [10,11,40,41,43]. Hallsworth et al showed that in 19 MRI-confirmed NAFLD patients, eight-weeks of Precor circuit training three times per week for 45 min per session led to a 13% reduction in hepatic fat independent of weight loss [41].…”

The benefits of exercise for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

“…Of the nine studies employing PRT in isolation, five observed a significant reduction in liver fat [5,13,[17][18][19], three of which conformed with the abovementioned guidelines [5,13,18], while four showed no benefit [12,[20][21][22] with discrepancies in outcomes likely due to the large heterogeneity in study design. These differences include the use of circuit-based training (which has a concurrent 'aerobic' exercise stimulus) [19,22], the use of home-based prescription [17], and variation in training intensities and study populations, all of which combined limit the ability to generalize findings and draw practical conclusions. The largest study to date which has directly compared aerobic exercise with PRT observed significant reduction in liver fat score (assessed via attenuation of computed tomography) with 8 months of aerobic exercise training but not with PRT in overweight adults [20].…”