Fatty liver causes morbidity and mortality due to metabolic complications such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, the development of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Because drug treatment for the disease is very limited or nonexistent, the main emphasis is on life style modifications. In this aspect our study is one of a few clinical trials to show the benefit of resistance training in reducing liver fat".
According to Dr. Zelber-Sagi, although patients with the disease recognize the importance of physical activity, they often lack the motivation to engage in such activity, particularly in the case of aerobic exercises, which are usually time consuming.
The current study was undertaken by a team of researchers from the University of Haifa, and the Tel Aviv Medical Center led by Dr. Shira Zelber-Sagi, Prof. Oren Shibolet, and Assaf Buch. The researchers decided to examine the impact of resistance training which is usually briefer and more focused than aerobic exercises on fatty liver disease. The study included 82 subjects aged 20-65 who were diagnosed by means of an ultrasound as suffering from fatty liver disease over the six months before the beginning of the study. The participants were divided randomly into a resistance training group and a control group that was asked only to undertake stretching exercises. The participants were asked not to change their physical activity habits during the study, to continue their usual diet, and to take their prescribed medicines. During the study the participants underwent examinations of weight, blood pressure, a blood test for liver enzymes, lipids, blood sugar, and insulin.
Resistance training in the gym was defined according to a uniform protocol, with the level of resistance adjusted to the patients capabilities. The training, that was desighned and delivered by Assaf Buch, included several sets of different resistance exercises involving the arms, chest, and legs and lasting for a total of 40 minutes, three times a week.
At the end of the three-month study, the researchers found that resistance training in the gym led to a decrease in liver fat based on the fat content of the liver as detected in the special ultrasound examination employed by the study. Developed by Dr. Muriel Webb, this examination enables the quantification of liver fat. Dr. Zelber-Sagi explains: The resistance training was not intended to reduce body weight significantly, and indeed overall weight loss was very slight. However, it seems that the resistance training had a specific impact in terms of a fall in liver fat levels as measured in the ultrasound examination.
