Regular Exercise as a Secondary Practical Treatment for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

A novel notion has arisen in clinical medicine: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), representing a spectrum of conditions ranging from asymptomatic simple steatosis to steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. Even though there is a pressing need to treat this disease, the treatment options are limited. Previous studies have confirmed that weight loss via lifestyle management has proven to be successful. This is now accepted as the first-line therapy. In those studies, improvements of liver function and hepatic steatosis were noted when weight loss of around 3% to 10% of body weight was achieved. However, optimum weight loss and its management are difficult to accomplish. Subsequent studies showed that when weight loss was achieved independent of exercise, additional beneficial effects were observed in addition to weight loss. Exercise with a diet regimen brought even more benefits. Because of this substantial evidence, exercise should be proposed as another strategy for NAFLD treatment, regardless of weight loss. This review was aimed at providing a succinct, comprehensive overview of the diagnosis and management of NAFLD, highlighting the need for routinization of the role of exercise in NAFLD management, and at elucidating the mechanisms behind the benefits of exercise, with relevant studies.