Regular aerobic activity would improve the cardiovascular health of postmenopausal women with NASH, according to American researchers.
More and more of them are suffering from it, and sport could help them. In women with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (also called fatty liver disease, or NASH), physical activity slows the progression of the disease, according to a Brazilian study published in the journal Menopause.
To carry out this study, the researchers brought together 40 obese women with NASH, for nearly 6 months. They were divided into two groups: one did a treadmill workout twice a week and the other did not. The sessions lasted between 30 and 50 minutes. Before and after the sessions, the researchers noted the percentage of fat and muscle mass. Lipids, cytokines, liver enzymes were also noted. Without forgetting the weight, the BMI or the waist circumference. During the experiment, the diet of both groups was restricted in calories.
An increasingly frequent disease
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is a common disease of the liver. In Europe, 20-30% of the general population is susceptible to NASH. This pathology, which is not the result of excessive or regular alcohol consumption, is favored by being overweight and often causes insulin resistance. With the growing number of people suffering from obesity around the world, NASH is likely to spread, researchers fear. “Unfortunately, although it is very widespread today, NASH is not often detected in postmenopausal women,” the researchers deplore. Because it is during menopause – when estrogen decreases in the blood – that the metabolism evolves, being able to involve the risks of overweight, abdominal obesity, hypertension… So many factors which contribute to the risk of developing NASH. The cardiovascular health of women is thus weakened. As the researchers detail, women with NASH have lower cardiorespiratory capacities.
Noticeable weight loss
As a result, after six months of study, the researchers observed a decrease in waist circumference, BMI or even an increase in HDL-cholesterol in the group of women who practiced physical activity. In addition, these women presented a significant improvement in their cardiorespiratory capacities. Hepatic steatosis was also more marked in the control group.
However, training had no effect on insulin resistance. In addition, sport “had no significant effect on body composition and glycemic profile,” say the researchers. Liver enzymes and cytokine levels did not change significantly either. “Our study shows the importance of advising postmenopausal women with NASH to exercise regularly to prevent the disease from getting worse,” says lead author JoAnn V. Pinkerton. Other studies will be necessary to understand whether sport prevents cirrhosis of the liver, or if it is involved in reducing inflammatory reactions, ”she concludes.
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