According to research, doing physical activity helps the liver not to assimilate too much fat, avoiding the risk of steatosis
Do physical activity? It not only trains the muscles but can also prevent the development of fatty liver (or fatty liver). To say it is a new study published in the journal Molecular Metabolism, according to which a modification of our lifestyle, also based on physical exercise, could also have a positive effect on the way in which the liver processes excess sugars.
Fatty liver disease or fatty liver: what does it involve –
It is estimated that around one in four people in the world suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is the accumulation of extra fat in the liver cells not caused by alcohol. Those affected often have type 2 diabetes and an increased risk of liver cirrhosis and cardiovascular disease. Not to mention that NAFLD is associated with an increase in mortality: the accumulation of fatty deposits in the liver over time could in fact lead to hepatic insulin resistance and cause inflammation of the liver.
Exercise, liver and energy –
To prevent and treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, doctors recommend lifestyle modifications that also include increased physical activity. The reason? Scientists from the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Patho-Biochemistry of the University Hospital of Tübingen (Germany) have tried to find out, trying to understand to what extent regular exercise changes the way our liver reacts to an increased intake of sugars.
Fatty liver and physical activity: the study –
In the study conducted by Dr Miriam Hoene and Dr Lisa Kappler, lab mice were fed a high-energy diet and some of them even received regular training on the treadmill. Well, after six weeks it was seen that training regulated important glucose and fructose breakdown enzymes in the liver as well as mitochondrial metabolism (the power plants of the cell, ed), making the liver store less fat. In addition, the “trained” mice also showed better glucose control and increased respiratory capacity of their muscles, which helped to relieve the metabolic stress of the liver, subjected to high doses of sugars. The trained muscles also did their part in helping the liver to dispose of too much sugar.
The conclusions of the study –
For the German researchers this means that when we exercise, we help the liver to free itself from the accumulated excess energy. “The results show that regular physical activity acts on many key nodes of the metabolic pathways, an effect that cannot be obtained with monotherapy, ”says Dr Cora Weigert, head of the study and professor of molecular diabetes at the university hospital of Tübingen.
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