| Theme |
The Impact of Sarcopenia and Nutrition on Liver Diseases |
| Title |
Diet & Exercise Therapy for Patients with NAFLD |
| Author |
Ryuki Hashida |
Department of Orthopedics, Kurume University School of Medicine and Division of Rehabilitation, Kurume University Hospital |
| Author |
Takumi Kawaguchi |
Division of Gastroenteorlogy, Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine |
| Author |
Naoto Shiba |
Department of Orthopedics, Kurume University School of Medicine and Division of Rehabilitation, Kurume University Hospital |
| Author |
Takuji Torimura |
Division of Gastroenteorlogy, Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] |
Overeating and physical inactivity are the main risk factors for non‒alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Since no medications are currently approved for its treatment, nutrition and exercise therapy are important for patients with NAFLD. The, beneficial effects of nutritional therapy for NAFLD were recently reported. The usefulness of the Mediterranean diet, vitamin E, and probiotics is now evident in randomized controlled trials and meta‒analyses. Coffee consumption and fructose intake are thought to be associated with NAFLD. In addition to nutritional therapy, both aerobic and resistance exercises reportedly improve NAFLD. We also performed a systematic review of exercise therapy for NAFLD and revealed the effective exercise protocol for patients with NAFLD. For aerobic exercise, the median effective protocol was 4.8 metabolic equivalents (METs) for 40‒min sessions three times a week for 12 weeks. For resistance exercise, the median effective protocol was 3.5 METs for 45‒min sessions three times a week for 12 weeks. Since energy consumption was lower in the resistance exercise than in the aerobic exercise, resistance exercise may be directly associated with fat metabolism in hepatocytes. Here we review recent publications and summarize nutrition and exercise therapy for patients with NAFLD. |