Even moderate physical activity protects the liver from disease

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Physical activity, including walking and strength training, can significantly reduce the risk of dying from liver disease, according to a new study. The research results were presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2019 in San Diego. The researchers hope these results will help provide specific exercise recommendations for patients with liver cirrhosis.

“The positive influence of exercise on our health is not a new concept, but the influence of exercise on the risk of death from liver cirrhosis and liver cancer has not yet been studied,” said Dr. Tracey Simon, lead researcher on the study and lecturer in medicine at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

Dr. Simon and her team prospectively followed 68,449 women and 48,748 men for 26 years who had no known liver disease at baseline. Participants provided highly accurate physical activity data, including type and intensity, every two years, allowing researchers to examine the association between physical activity and liver cirrhosis-related deaths.

The researchers found that subjects who walked weekly reduced their risk ofConsequences of liver diseaseto die could be reduced by 73 percent. Further risk reduction was observed with the addition of resistance training.

Previous research has been limited to studies in which physical activity was only assessed at a specific point in time or to studies with a very short duration. This was the first prospective study in a large group that included detailed and updated measures of physical activity over such a long period of time that researchers could more accurately estimate the association between physical activity and liver outcomes.

“In the United States, the death rate from liver cirrhosis is increasing dramatically. Mortality is expected to triple by 2030. Given this alarming trend, information about modifiable risk factors to prevent liver disease is needed,” said Dr. Simon. “Our findings support further research to determine the optimal type and intensity of physical activity to prevent adverse outcomes in patients at risk for cirrhosis.”