"Hybrid exercise training improves liver steatosis and inflammation in a randomized trial of sedentary, obese women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease".
{"title":"\"Hybrid exercise training improves liver steatosis and inflammation in a randomized trial of sedentary, obese women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease\".","authors":"Niloofar Zareie Mohammadzadeh, Mohammadreza Rezaeipour","doi":"10.1186/s13102-025-01349-2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents a significant and escalating public health challenge, particularly in obese, sedentary populations. Hybrid exercise training, integrating electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) with voluntary muscle contractions, offers a novel, low-impact therapeutic modality; however, its clinical efficacy remains underexplored.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This randomized controlled trial investigated the clinical efficacy of hybrid exercise training in improving hepatic steatosis, liver enzyme profiles, systemic inflammation, and metabolic health in sedentary, obese, middle-aged women with NAFLD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty women with ultrasound-confirmed grade 2-3 NAFLD were randomized to either six weeks of hybrid exercise training (n = 15) or lifestyle counseling (n = 15). Primary and secondary outcomes included liver steatosis grade, serum liver enzymes (AST, ALT), inflammatory marker IL-6, fasting blood glucose, and anthropometric parameters.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Hybrid exercise training led to significant improvements compared with lifestyle counseling. Steatosis grade decreased markedly (- 0.80 vs. -0.02; p < 0.01; η² = 0.38), accompanied by large reductions in ALT (- 31.86 U/L; p < 0.01; η² = 0.65) and AST (- 27.46 U/L; p < 0.01; η² = 0.61). IL-6 concentrations declined (- 3.0 pg/mL; p < 0.05; η² = 0.42), while anthropometric outcomes improved (body weight - 4.51 kg, BMI - 1.56 kg/m², WHR - 0.042; all p < 0.01; η² ≥ 0.52). Correlation analyses showed that decreases in IL-6 were strongly associated with improvements in ALT (r = - 0.72, p < 0.01) and AST (r = - 0.68, p < 0.01).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Hybrid exercise training is a safe, feasible, and clinically effective intervention for improving liver health and attenuating systemic inflammation in obese women with NAFLD, with strong associations between IL-6 reductions and liver enzyme improvements.</p><p><strong>Clinical trial registration: </strong>ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05231564, Registered on 28 February 2022.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"17 1","pages":"308"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-025-01349-2","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"REHABILITATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents a significant and escalating public health challenge, particularly in obese, sedentary populations. Hybrid exercise training, integrating electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) with voluntary muscle contractions, offers a novel, low-impact therapeutic modality; however, its clinical efficacy remains underexplored.
Objectives: This randomized controlled trial investigated the clinical efficacy of hybrid exercise training in improving hepatic steatosis, liver enzyme profiles, systemic inflammation, and metabolic health in sedentary, obese, middle-aged women with NAFLD.
Methods: Thirty women with ultrasound-confirmed grade 2-3 NAFLD were randomized to either six weeks of hybrid exercise training (n = 15) or lifestyle counseling (n = 15). Primary and secondary outcomes included liver steatosis grade, serum liver enzymes (AST, ALT), inflammatory marker IL-6, fasting blood glucose, and anthropometric parameters.
Results: Hybrid exercise training led to significant improvements compared with lifestyle counseling. Steatosis grade decreased markedly (- 0.80 vs. -0.02; p < 0.01; η² = 0.38), accompanied by large reductions in ALT (- 31.86 U/L; p < 0.01; η² = 0.65) and AST (- 27.46 U/L; p < 0.01; η² = 0.61). IL-6 concentrations declined (- 3.0 pg/mL; p < 0.05; η² = 0.42), while anthropometric outcomes improved (body weight - 4.51 kg, BMI - 1.56 kg/m², WHR - 0.042; all p < 0.01; η² ≥ 0.52). Correlation analyses showed that decreases in IL-6 were strongly associated with improvements in ALT (r = - 0.72, p < 0.01) and AST (r = - 0.68, p < 0.01).
Conclusions: Hybrid exercise training is a safe, feasible, and clinically effective intervention for improving liver health and attenuating systemic inflammation in obese women with NAFLD, with strong associations between IL-6 reductions and liver enzyme improvements.
Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05231564, Registered on 28 February 2022.
期刊介绍：
BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation is an open access, peer reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of sports medicine and the exercise sciences, including rehabilitation, traumatology, cardiology, physiology, and nutrition.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
