Physical activity is an important lever in the fight against fatty liver disease. Dr Antoine Desvergée, hospital practitioner in the physical medicine and rehabilitation department of Caen University Hospital, explains how to become active enough to fight against NAFLD and NASH.
- Physical activity is an important lever in the fight against fatty liver disease.
- To regain or maintain a healthy liver, you should aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week.
- The idea is to add physical activity wherever we can and to fight against a sedentary lifestyle.
Fatty liver disease is one of the only conditions that can be reversed without medication. A balanced diet and regular physical activity allow you to gradually regain a healthy liver. While these lifestyle changes are easy to say/write, they are not so easy to integrate into your daily life over the long term. Dr Antoine Desvergée, hospital practitioner in the physical medicine and rehabilitation department of Caen University Hospital, shares his tips for moving more and fighting against NAFLD and NASH.
How does physical activity fight fatty liver disease?
Whether for metabolic, liver, cardiac or cognitive health, physical activity is essential to our well-being. It is important to remember this. But it is particularly interesting in the fight against fatty liver diseases, because it will regulate the heart of the problem.
“The very mechanism of NASH is an insulin problem. In people who have an unfavorable lifestyle and other risk factors such as obesity, the pancreas must produce a maximum amount of insulin very regularly to prevent glucose levels from rising in the bloodexplains Dr. Antoine Desvergée. When too much insulin is produced, the cycle and breakdown of fatty acids in the liver are completely disrupted. Fat then accumulates in the liver. However, physical activity has an extremely important impact on insulin regulation. It reduces hyperinsulinism as well as insulin resistance.” In addition, physical activity has anti-inflammatory properties. A major asset in the fight against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which is characterized by inflammation of the liver.
NASH and physical activity: you have to have fun
When you have been inactive, or even sedentary, for years, it is not necessarily easy to head to the gym. “The goal is to go gradually,” explains the expert. “Achieving the physical activity recommendations – that is to say 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week – is very good”explains the doctor. “Intense physical activity is not recommended for these patients who have an unfavorable lifestyle and other physical limitations”he adds.
So where to start? Experts generally highlight endurance exercises to counter fatty liver disease. “It’s very good, but you have to recognize that doing an exercise bike for an hour every day can quickly seem boring”. For the specialist, the solution lies in interval training. “These are multiple and diverse activities that use the upper limbs, lower limbs for balance, stretching… we will look for different exercises to have a varied and fun activity course that works different muscles in the good mood”. To fight against NASH, it is necessary to burn fatty acids and glucose. The best way to do this? Repeatedly and regularly work large muscle groups such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, shoulder girdle, shoulders, etc.
“But we avoid boring things“, indicates the expert. Indeed, the key to integrating physical activity into your daily life more easily, according to him, is pleasure. “If people are attracted to fitness, that’s great, if they want to walk that’s perfect, if they want to row too. The message is to have fun.”
“The fun and social aspect is essential in physical activity. Once you have found pleasure in physical activity, you have won, because it is easier to make it a habit anchored in your life. every day”concludes Dr. Antoine Desvergée.
Return to sport: get help from a professional
The other important point to (re)becoming active successfully is to be supported by professionals. “Studies have shown that when they start alone – the famous good resolutions of September or January for example – 60% of people get injured. Small injuries (strain, sprain, etc.), but since people hurt themselves, they stop and the change in lifestyle too”alerts the doctor.
He recommends that people who wish to resume physical activity go to or contact a sports-health center. “There are more than 500 in France. You just have to say: ‘I have NASH or NAFLD, I would like to be more active. What do you advise me?’ There will necessarily be a suitable response that will help you not get hurt and also have fun.”
The expert warns, however: if the first health benefits of physical activity appear from 15 minutes per day, it remains a long-term task. “Nothing is quick. As soon as we talk about changing our lifestyle and state of mind. It’s obviously a long process. We’re not going to turn into a marathon runner in a few months. It’s not a matter of elsewhere not the goal.”
“We must show that the pleasure of physical activity can be more important than the pleasure of doing nothing, and what’s more, it’s better for their health.”
Fatty liver disease and sedentary lifestyle: how to move more every day?
Having taken charge of the gyms or sports classes is good. However, we must generally fight against the increasingly present sedentary lifestyle in our lives. How to be more active on a daily basis? You have to set small goals like going to get bread on foot rather than by car, taking the stairs rather than the elevator.
“The idea is to put physical activity wherever we can and to fight against the most harmful habits like sitting on a sofa and watching TV. One of the solutions to this is through example of sitting on the big sports balls to watch TV, it will make a difference, because we work several muscles.”
