(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Moderate exercise combined with some weightlifting
may reduce fat levels in the livers of people with type 2 diabetes by up to 40
percent, according to a new Johns Hopkins University study.
High liver fat levels, a common occurrence in type 2 diabetics, contribute to
heart disease risk. Most of the 250,000 people who die each year from all kinds
of diabetes die from some form of heart disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver can
also lead to cirrhosis and subsequent liver failure and transplantation and even
cancer, researchers said.
For the six-month study, half of the group participated in a moderate exercise
program that consisted of 45 minute aerobic sessions three times a week, such as
bicycling, running on a treadmill and taking brisk walks, and weightlifting for
20 minutes three times a week. The other group was asked to avoid any formal
aerobic or gym classes.
MRI scans showed much lower levels of liver fat in the active group at the end
of the six months and little change in the non-exercising group. The active
group members also improved their oxygen intake, their muscles grew stronger,
their waistlines shrunk and they lowered their body fat and body weight.
“The benefits in improved fitness and fatness are clear, and physicians should
really have all people with type 2 diabetes actively engaged in an exercise
program,” lead investigator, exercise physiologist Kerry Stewart, Ed.D., was
quoted as saying.
SOURCE: Annual meeting of the American Association of Cardiovascular and
Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Indianapolis, Sept. 18-21, 2008
