Aerobic Exercise – A Smart Route for Battling a Fatty Liver
When it comes to reducing the occurrence or severity of fatty liver disease, aerobic exercise boasts a handful of specific benefits.
In today’s society, fatty liver disease is fast becoming a major health menace. Experts estimate that one in every four American adults has a fatty liver – a condition that predisposes people to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Although there is not yet an approved medical treatment for a fatty liver, various lifestyle choices are known to prevent and reverse fatty liver disease. Relatively new research makes a strong case for aerobic exercise as a habit that can protect people from the repercussions of a fatty liver.
About Fatty Liver Disease
Describing the accumulation of fat in the liver, fatty liver disease is characterized by one of two levels of severity. Steatosis, the mild form of a fatty liver, occurs when there is fat accumulation in the liver that is not associated with inflammation. Steatosis typically does not cause liver damage. If recognized before it progresses, lifestyle changes can reverse steatosis.
In those who do not consume alcohol, NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) is the more severe form of fatty liver disease. Besides fat accumulation in the liver, steatohepatitis means that inflammation is also present. The liver can scar in those with NASH, a problem that may progress to cirrhosis, liver failure or liver cancer.
Easing Fatty Liver Disease
Especially for those who have not yet progressed to the more severe form of fatty liver disease, losing weight, sticking to a regular exercise program and eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet have the potential to reverse steatosis. Health professionals agree that adhering to these lifestyle tenements from the start helps to prevent all kinds of deleterious health conditions – including the development of a fatty liver.
According to a recently presented study, aerobic exercise in particular has a positive impact on fatty liver disease. Everyone knows that frequent physical activity is a means to lose weight and improve overall health. However, research presented at the April 2011 Experimental Biology meeting in Washington, D.C. makes the claim that aerobic exercise protects the liver from fatty liver disease.
About the Study
Led by Jacob M. Haus Ph.D., a research fellow in the Department of Pathobiology, the aforementioned research took place at the Cleveland Clinic. Haus and his collaborators found that those with fatty liver disease who walked on a treadmill at 85 percent of their maximum heart rate for one hour per day for seven consecutive days exhibited several statistically significant fatty liver improvements.
At the conclusion of the study, improvements in the following markers were found:
• An 84 percent increase in the liver’s polyunsaturated liver index, an indication of an improvement in liver health.
• An increase in insulin sensitivity, an indication that the body is better able to manage blood sugar – thus reducing fat accumulation.
• An increase in adiponectin levels, an indication that fat is being better metabolized.
• A decrease in the production of reactive oxygen species, an indication that less oxidative damage is occurring.
According to Dr. Haus, “Exercise appears to affect the cumulative metabolic risk factors for the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We like to think of exercise as medicine.”
About Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise differs from other types of physical activity in that it is typically of longer duration, yet of relatively low intensity. It generally involves rhythmically using the same large muscle group for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Examples of aerobic activities are walking, biking, jogging, rowing, swimming and cross-country skiing. As a rule, you should be able to carry on a short conversation while doing aerobic exercise without gasping for breath.
Besides benefitting the 25 percent of American adults with a fatty liver, there are many more reasons to engage in regular aerobic exercise. Six reasons to get aerobic exercise daily are:
1. Aerobic exercise activates the immune system, reducing susceptibility to colds and flus.
2. Aerobic exercise helps keep arteries clear and strengthens the heart.
3. Aerobic exercise can ease depression, reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.
4. Aerobic exercise keeps muscles strong, which helps maintain mobility with advancing age.
5. Aerobic exercise reduces cognitive decline in older adults.
6. Aerobic exercise enhances stamina and reduces fatigue.
Although running a marathon may not be everybody’s preference, just about anyone can find a way to include aerobic exercise into their lifestyle. By partaking in this kind of physical activity, fatty liver disease can be prevented, steatosis reversed and steatohepatitis progression halted. As demonstrated by the Cleveland Clinic researchers, long and steady physical activity officially wins the race toward a leaner, healthier liver.
http://k2.kirtland.cc.mi.us/~balbachl/aeroprin.htm, What is Aerobic Exercise and Why Should I do it?, Lisa Balbach, Retrieved June 5, 2011, Lisa Balbach, 2011.
http://www.emaxhealth.com/1506/increase-aerobic-exercise-may-slow-progression-non-alcoholic-fatty-liver-disease, Increase in Aerobic Exercise May Slow Progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Denise Reynolds, RD, Retrieved June 1, 2011, eMaxHealth.com, 2011.
http://www.liversupport.com/wordpress/2011/05/newly-revealed-health-risk-linked-to-fatty-liver-disease/, Newly Revealed Health Risk Linked to Fatty Liver Disease, Nicole Cutler, L.Ac., Retrieved June 5, 2011, Natural Wellness, 2011.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aerobic-exercise/EP00002/NSECTIONGROUP=2, Aerobic Exercise: Top 10 Reasons to Get Physical, Retrieved June 5, 2011, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2011.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21569626, Exercise and spirulina control non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis and lipid profile in diabetic Wistar rats, Moura LP, et al, Retrieved June 3, 2011, Lipids in Health and Disease, May 2011.
About the Author
Nicole Cutler, L.Ac., MTCM is a long time advocate of integrating perspectives on health. With a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from the University of Rochester and a Master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Five Branches Institute, Nicole has been a licensed acupuncturist since 2000. She has gathered acupuncture licenses in the states of California and New York, is a certified specialist with the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, has earned diplomat status with the National Commission of Chinese and Oriental Medicine in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology and is a member of the Society for Integrative Oncology. In addition to her acupuncture practice that focuses on stress and pain relief, digestion, immunity and oncology, Nicole contributes to the integration of healthcare by writing articles for professional massage therapists and people living with liver disease.
is cod liver oil bad for the liver ? i take it daily and im concerned !
I believe so if you have any kind of trouble with your liver,if its got iron in it.
When I started getting my health back, I took fish oil supplements and then cod liver oil. Both oils made me feel ill. I read some more and decided to take flax seed oil. It isn’t made from fish at all. It agrees with me. Today I also eat olive oil and it to agrees with me. This is only my opinion and my experience. I take 2 flax seed oil pills a day, one in am & one in pm. My itchy and dry skin have cleared up. I also cook with olive oil and make home made salad dressings with it. I don’t eat a lot of it but eat some every day. Hope this gives you some helpful ideas. Jo
The only supplements I take are milk thistle and cod liver oil caps (300 mg@ 3X day=900 mg daily). No multivitamins, but lots of whole grains and fresh, organic vegetables and fruits plus lots of yogurt and kefir. This all seems to work for me pretty well (stage 3+ fibrosis), with no noticeable ill effects. All my minor arthritis-type pains (fingers and knees) disappeared within a few days of starting the cod-liver oil, and if I skip for more than a week, they return. But I’ve heard that flax seed oil can do the same. I can eat olive oil, grape-seed oil, or a small amount of sesame oil. Only thing I put on my skin, though, is olive oil. Everyone is different; you just have to experiment. But I’ve never heard any danger to liver from daily 900 mg cod liver oil. But don’t take more than that, and don’t let it get rancid! Would be interested to hear what others say.
For how would I have to be on phospholipids? How healthy is the long term use?
What if you could get all these benefits in just 4 minutes a day, scientifically guaranteed? Well you can. Check out ‘Tabata Protocol/Training’. You can find a free timer online too.
excellent information for people suffering from NASH
If anyone lives near Victoria, BC, consider joining the HepCBC Liver Warriors team. We are walking, running, or wheel-chairing the October 7, 2012 Victoria Goodlife Marathon (or 1/2 marathon)! We want to demonstrate the benefits of exercise such as walking for those with liver disease, to improve our own health, to combat stigma, to raise funds for hepatitis-C education, prevention, and support, and to HAVE FUN! To participate, volunteer, or donate, see http://www.hepcbc.ca/GoodlifeMarathon/Forum_Goodlife_20120316.pdf . Most will probably be walking the 1/2 marathon (22.5 km). If you don’t want to officially join the marathon, consider training with us this year, then maybe joining next year!
Very useful information for prevention as well as for treatment of the ailments due to fatty liver.
thank you for all of your valuable information which is also interesting to read and easily absorbed!
P.S when i was in ICU of hospital they found dried blood in my head and because i do not have insurence doc’s. are not wanting to help you at all so my questions do not ever get answered and now everyday for a year now since hospital my ears are hearing niose and ringing NON STOP for a year took or was sent to take a hearing test and have lost some of my hearing and it is hard to except that it might be the Hep. talking?????i had to get county assistance to get test and you are NOT treated like people with Insurance I basically want and pray to die everyday because i do not have creativity or energy or even feelings other than no thinking and living dead is no way to live!!!
How long if you follow the proper diet and exercise will it take to reverse fatty liver?