Fatty liver is an increasingly common disease that affects 20-30% of the world’s population and can lead to liver (cirrhosis, liver cancer) and extrahepatic complications. The frequency of this disease is increasing annually and it is estimated that by 2040 around 55% of the world’s population could suffer from it. Physical inactivity and poor quality sleep are increasingly widespread situations in today’s lifestyle and could affect the development of fatty liver.
The journal Nutrition & Diabetes has published a study that includes 10,089 individuals, 3,854 of them with fatty liver, to determine the possible influence that physical activity and sleep have on this disease.
Sleep quality was established in three groups: bad (less than 7 hours a day), normal (between 7-8 hours a day) and prolonged (more than 8 hours a day) and were related to the presence of fatty liver. It was found that the lower the quality of sleep, the higher the prevalence of the disease. It was even observed that with a moderate reduction in sleep hours, the probability of having fatty liver increased by 20%.
Importance of practicing sports
In relation to physical activity, it was found that the prevalence of fatty liver decreased as the amount of physical activity performed increased. What’s more, in people who did less than 3 hours of physical exercise per week, the probability of having fatty liver increased by 40%.
Finally, as expected, when studying the joint influence of physical activity and sleep quality on the development of fatty liver, it was found that people with moderate-high physical activity and good sleep quality (7-8 hours/day) were less likely to have fatty liver.
In summary, in Dr. Carreño’s opinion, for the treatment of fatty liver it is very important to take into account not only metabolic factors (increased cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose), but also the physical activity and the sleep quality of the patient to correct, if necessary, his or her lifestyle habits.
