• Xue Yu, Yan Wang, Jianming Lai, Ting Song, and Jianping Duan.
• Department of Hepatology, The Sixth People's Hospital of Qingdao, Fushun road, no 9, Shandong Province, 266033, China.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2023 Feb 1; 192 (1): 131142131-142.

ObjectivesThis systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of exercise training in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).MethodsWe searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase for relevant research from January 2001 to December 2021. The efficacy of exercise training was analyzed.ResultsA total of 21 articles, involving 1733 patients, were included. Exercise training, including resistance training, aerobic exercise training, and high-intensity training, showed the efficacy in reducing weight (MD = 3.46, 95% CI [1.94, 4.98]), BMI (MD = 0.89, 95% CI [0.17, 1.61]), and ALT (MD = 6.66, 95% CI [3.27, 10.04]) and AST (MD = 3.14, 95% CI [0.35, 5.93]) levels in patients with NAFLD. When the exercise training lasted for ≥ 20 weeks, the total cholesterol (TC) (MD = 0.13, 95% CI [0.04, 0.22]), triglyceride (TG) (MD = 0.29, 95% CI [0.12, 0.47]), and blood glucose (GLU) (MD =  - 0.18, 95% CI [0.10, 0.26]) levels significantly reduced. Compared with the exercise training group, the exercise training combined with probiotics group showed more efficiency in reducing the ALT, AST, TG, and TC levels. However, the exercise training combined with a hypoglycemic agent group showed no obvious efficiency compared with the exercise training group.ConclusionExercise training can improve NAFLD. The improvement was more obvious when exercise was performed for ≥ 20 weeks. Probiotics may enhance the efficiency of exercise training.© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.

9 keywords...

hide…