Reduce your risk of fatty liver disease by walking just 22 minutes a day

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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases in the world. As the name suggests, it occurs in people who do not abuse alcohol.

Researchers found that exercise reduced liver fat by three and a half times compared to conventional treatments.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease often doesn't cause any problems in the early stages, but things will change over time. And if left untreated, it can lead to liver failure, cirrhosis, and even cancer.

One of the main causes of fatty liver disease is being overweight, especially if you have a lot of fat around your waist.

Therefore, to reduce the risk of fatty liver disease, you should first of all maintain a healthy weight, eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly.

The study showed how much exercise is needed to do this.

The article, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, used the results of 14 studies on exercise, which included 551 participants with fatty liver disease.

The researchers assessed factors such as age, sex, body mass index, weight change, adherence to exercise protocols and liver fat levels measured by MRI.

The analysis found that 150 minutes of exercise per week – or just under 22 minutes per day – was optimal.

The recommended amount of exercise is endorsed by the American Gastroenterological Association, the European Association for the Study of the Liver and the National Health Service.

Doctors who counsel patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease should recommend this level of activity to their patients, the study says. Brisk walking or cycling for half an hour a day, five times a week, is just one example of a program that would meet these criteria.

In addition to being overweight, there are other factors that can increase your risk of NAFLD:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
• Hypertension
• High cholesterol
• Metabolic syndrome (a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity)
• Age over 50
• Smoking.

To reduce your risk of developing NAFLD, it is enough to lose weight, eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and quit smoking.

Symptoms NAFLD:

• Dull or aching pain in the upper right abdomen (lower abdomen)
• Persistent fatigue
• Unexplained weight loss
• Weakness
• Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
• Itchy skin
• Swelling of the legs, ankles, feet, or abdomen.