Author information
1Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
2Section of Digestive Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
3Department of Internal Medicine, VA Connecticut Health Care System, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.
Abstract
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.