Therapeutic Effects of Aerobic Exercise and Low-calorie Diet on Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

Abstract

Background:

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is part of a broad spectrum of nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases that can lead to cirrhosis. To date, there is no effective medical treatment for NASH. We aim to compare the effect of aerobic exercise in conjunction with diet to diet alone on the improvement of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in patients with NASH.

Materials and Methods:

We enrolled 23 NASH patients, ages 25-50 years, and randomly divided them into two groups, aerobic exercise plus diet (n=12) or diet alone (n=11). In this study, diet in both groups included 500 kilocalories of energy less than the estimated daily energy requirement. In addition to diet, the first group participated in aerobic exercises that consisted of walking, jogging and running, for a period of eight weeks, three days a week at a 55%-60% heart rate reserve. For all patients, we measured blood pressure, Waist Circumference, serum ALT, HDL, TG, FBS, insulin levels, and insulin resistance according to HOMA-IR at baseline and after eight weeks. We analyzed data with the paired and independent samples t-test, at a significance level of p <0.05.

Results:

Although, there was no significant difference noted in patients in the diet only group, HOMA-IR, Systolic Blood Pressure, Diastolic Blood Pressure, FBS, ALT, and insulin levels significantly decreased in patients who underwent both diet and exercise. Serum TG levels and WC decreased significantly in both groups. In a comparison between the groups, there was a significant decrease observed in WC, FBS, and ALT.

Conclusion:

Aerobic exercise in conjunction with diet may be more effective than diet alone in the treatment of patients with NASH.