PubMed ID:
18266250
Public Release Type:
Journal
Publication Year: 2008
Affiliation: Exercise Physiology and Body Composition Laboratory, CTSI Clinical Research Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0126, USA. krasnoffj@gcrc.ucsf.edu
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.22137
Authors:
Bass NM,
Krasnoff JB,
Merriman RB,
Painter PL,
Wallace JP
Studies:
Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been referred to as the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. There is a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome in individuals with higher health-related fitness (HRF) and physical activity (PA) participation. The relationship between NAFLD severity and HRF or PA is unknown. Our aim was to compare measures of HRF and PA in patients with a histological spectrum of NAFLD severity. Thirty-seven patients with liver biopsy-confirmed NAFLD (18 women/19 men; age = 45.9 +/- 12.7 years) completed assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF, VO(2peak)), muscle strength (quadriceps peak torque), body composition (%fat), and PA (current and historical questionnaire). Liver histology was used to classify severity by steatosis (mild, moderate, severe), fibrosis stage (stage 1 versus stage 2/3), necroinflammatory activity (NAFLD Activity Score; <or=4 NAS1 versus >or=5 NAS2) and diagnosis of NASH by Brunt criteria (NASH versus NotNASH). Analysis of variance and independent t tests were used to determine the differences among groups. Fewer than 20% of patients met recommended guidelines for PA, and 97.3% were classified at increased risk of morbidity and mortality by %fat. No differences were detected in VO(2peak) (x = 26.8 +/- 7.4 mL/g/min) or %fat (x = 38.6 +/- 8.2%) among the steatosis or fibrosis groups. Peak VO(2) was significantly higher in NAS1 versus NAS2 (30.4 +/- 8.2 versus 24.4 +/- 5.7 mL/kg/min, P = 0.013) and NotNASH versus NASH (34.0 +/- 9.5 versus 25.1 +/- 5.7 mL/kg/min, P = 0.048).