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Published on: April 16, 2019
Exercise Does Not Independently Improve Histological Outcomes in Biopsy-Proven Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A
George Chen1, Bubu A Banini2, Albert Do2
1Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
Introduction:
The independent effect of exercise on liver histology in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unclear. As such, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of exercise alone on histological endpoints in biopsy-proven NAFLD.
Materials And Methods:
A systematic literature search was conducted to include controlled clinical trials investigating the effect of exercise alone on liver histology in biopsy-proven NAFLD. Meta-analysis was conducted for histological outcomes with available data from a minimum of three studies. Pooled estimates of the effect of exercise on histological endpoints were calculated using random-effects models.
Results:
We identified three controlled clinical trials that assessed the independent effect of exercise on histological outcomes in patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD. The studies consisted of 72 total participants, including 40 subjects in the exercise intervention and 32 individuals in the comparison group. Meta-analysis showed that exercise did not significantly improve Brunt grade, NAFLD activity score, and fibrosis in NAFLD.
Discussion:
Exercise alone may not lead to significant histopathological improvement in NAFLD. Future well-powered randomized controlled trials are needed to better characterize the impact of exercise on histological outcomes and clinical endpoints.
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