San Diego: According to a research presented in Digestive Disease Week, walking and muscle strengthening activities can drastically lower the risks of cirrhosis-related death. Chronic liver diseases are on the rise currently due to the rise in obesity and also due to the fact that there are no such guidelines for an optimal exercise to reduce the risk.Obesity has been shown to increase the risk for increased liver enzymes and has been linked with certain forms of liver disease. Insulin resistance can also lead to the pathologic accumulation of lipids in the liver and is associated with cirrhosis.
“The benefit of exercise is not a new concept, but the impact of exercise on mortality from cirrhosis and from liver cancer has not yet been explored on this scale,” said Dr Tracey Simon (MD, lead researcher on the study and instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston).”Our findings show that both walking and strength training contribute to substantial reductions in risk of cirrhosis-related death, which is significant because we know very little about modifiable risk factors”, she added.
The research, undertook by Dr Simon and her team involved 68,449 women of age group 30-55 and 48,748 men of age group 40-75 with no prior liver related issues. For 26 years from 1986 to 2012, all the participants provided the team with accurate data on physical activities every 2 years including leisure time walking, running, doing aerobics, strength training, or other activities.
The research revealed that people on the highest quintile of weekly walking activity had 73% lower risk of having cirrhosis-related death as compared to people on the lowest quintile. People who did muscle strengthening exercises had even lesser risks for the same.
Compared to previous researches, this research stands out because of its prolonged period and large number of participants. Further, it was also more detailed and updated which led to more precision in data and thus gives an accurate measure of the required data.
“In the U.S., mortality due to cirrhosis is increasing dramatically, with rates expected to triple by the year 2030. In the face of this alarming trend, information on modifiable risk factors that might prevent liver disease is needed,” said Dr Simon. “Our findings support further research to define the optimal type and intensity of physical activity to prevent adverse outcomes in patients at risk for cirrhosis.”
By:- Riddhi Dutta
