Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects over 40% of American adults and is due in part to physical inactivity and obesity. To date, there are no approved drug treatments that are effective to treat NAFLD or the more advanced subtype, called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Therefore, adopting a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise is incredibly important to improve this common condition.

Exactly how a healthy diet and exercising more benefit NAFLD/NASH remains unknown. A recent report from Dr. Jonathan Stine and his research group may shed light and provide new understanding of a novel pathway. AMP- activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a fuel-sensing enzyme activated by energy stress, including exercise. Mammalian target or rapamycin in complex 1 (mTORC1) regulates protein breakdown. Following 20 weeks of aerobic exercise five days a week for 30 minutes, AMPK/mTORC1 is favorably changed shifting energy balance towards one where fatty liver disease can be improved.

Clinical trials including the NASH Fitness Intervention in Thrombosis (NASHFit) Trial are further investigating the benefits of exercise in persons with NAFLD. Guidelines provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, American College of Sports Medicine, and the American Association or the Study of Liver Diseases state that all patients with fatty liver should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week.

See the full article here: Exercise Attenuates Ribosomal Protein Six Phosphorylation in Fatty Liver Disease