Poor Aerobic Fitness May Lead to Fatty Liver Disease
Worldwide epidemics such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and stroke are usually caused by poor aerobic fitness. However, the direct link between obesity and these systemic diseases have not yet been discovered-until recently, when a new research discovers that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can be induced by low aerobic capacity.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition where a person accumulates fat in the liver and eventually gains high levels of fat in the bloodstream. With this happening, the person becomes at higher risk to obesity. The disease can also lead to a certain kind of liver damage known as fibrosis, which is similar to the damage brought about by alcohol abuse.
“Fatty liver disease will be the next big metabolic disorder associated with obesity and inactivity,” says John Thyfault of the University of Missouri, head of the study. “It also induces the risk to type 2 diabetes.”
A series of tests were done to see the link between aerobic fitness and fatty liver disease. The research group bred two groups of rats which possess different patterns of intrinsic aerobic capacity. The tests took 17 generations of breeding, which resulted to “unfit” rats running at an average speed of over 200m, as compared with the average “fit” rats which run at over 1500m.
The group also checked on the liver conditions of the rats. The unfit rats, who were 25 weeks old at the time of the study, displayed symptoms of NAFLD, beginning with weaker mitochondria, high fat retention, poor levels of fat processing power, and other problematic conditions. Upon the end of their lives, the livers of the unfit rats have incurred damages such as fibrosis and premature cell death.
Meanwhile, the fit group of rats lived their lives happily until they died, with healthy livers intact. Since there were no real exercise regimens given to either group, the team’s results therefore stated that NAFLD could be treated and even prevented by undergoing a proper exercise routine.
The study provides a yet another breakthrough in highlighting the importance of exercise. Through exercise, we become aerobically fit, thus we make our livers stronger and less prone to fatty liver disease. Metabolic diseases are also kept away from our system, such as heart disease and diabetes. Thus, the best way to avoid fatty liver disease is by increasing aerobic fitness levels, by doing regular exercise.
“Your personal aerobic fitness is not something you will see in the mirror, but it is an important predictor of your long-term health,” says Thyfault. “The most important part of physical activity is protecting yourself from diseases that can be fatal or play a vital role in increasing the risk factors for other metabolic disease.”
Related:
Leave a Reply