November 6, 2024
Engaging in regular physical activity may improve the metabolic profile and health outcomes of individuals living with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), according to an analysis of data from the Global Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)/ Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Registry.
MASLD, formerly known as NAFLD, manifests as liver steatosis in people living with at least one metabolic risk factor, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, or high cholesterol levels.
In an analysis presented at the ACG 2024 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saleh A. Alqahtani, MD and colleagues looked at the impact of exercise on the health outcomes reported by nearly 5,000 individuals living with MASLD in 18 countries across the globe. The data were collected from a global registry of non-alcoholic liver diseases that reports the demographic characteristics and outcomes of patients in the six super-regions defined in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study. The participants, who were enrolled in the registry between 2018 and 2024, completed three questionnaires reflecting patient-reported outcomes and were asked if they exercised regularly at any level, at least three times per week, for at least 30 minutes. More than 60% of the participants had obesity, nearly half lived with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and 17% presented with advanced fibrosis. Overt fatigue was also reported in nearly half (45%) of the study population. Approximately 35% of the individuals living with MASLD reported engaging in regular exercise at least three times a week, for at least 30 minutes.
The study revealed that exercise habits vary widely across the different GBD super-regions: the highest prevalence of regular exercise was reported in high-income countries, in the Middle East and North Africa, and in Southeast Asia, while the lowest prevalence was found in South Asia and Latin America. The analysis showed that patients who exercised regularly were more commonly men, less likely to be obese, and had fewer non-hepatic comorbidities. The lack of regular exercise was independently associated with factors such as obesity, fatigue, sleep apnea, and smoking.
“The lack of exercise in patients with MASLD is associated with obesity and select comorbidities, and has a negative impact on health-reported quality of life and other patient-reported outcomes,” co-author Maria Stepanova, PhD, a senior biostatistician at the Center for Outcomes Research in Liver Diseases, in Washington, DC, said during a poster presentation. “Given these [findings], specific programs should be personalized to encourage regular exercise in patients with MASLD.”