(NaturalPath) According to a study out of Tulane University and published in JAMA Internal Medicine, a brisk walk is just as good as a job when it comes to fighting nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease independent of metabolic risk factors, such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia.
This is important for the more than three million people diagnosed each year with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The researchers took the 220 participants and divided them up into one of three groups. In the vigorous-moderate group, participants jogged 150 minutes a week at 65-80 percent of their maximum heart rate for the first six months followed by 150 minutes of brisk walking (45-55 percent of their maximum heart rate) for the other half of the year. The second group just walked briskly for 150 minutes a week for the entire year, while the control group did not exercise.
The results of the study were that the first group were equally effective in reducing intrahepatic triglyceride content among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The takeaway is that for those suffering with NAFLD it doesn’t take vigorous activity and exercise to have an impact on your health.
“Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has reached epidemic proportions worldwide and is the most common cause of chronic liver disease,” said one researcher. “The condition affects 20-30 percent of adults in the general population and 70-90 percent of patients with obesity or diabetes in Western countries.”
So, since nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease independent of metabolic risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia, either do some moderate or vigorous exercise to make an impact on your health.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.