Fatty liver disease is the buildup of harmful fat in the liver. When the condition is not caused by alcohol consumption but is associated with at least one of the five components of metabolic syndrome, it is called metabolic-associated steatotic (fatty) liver disease (MASLD).
"We found that this association between immobility and liver damage is potentially causal," said Professor Andrew Agbaje of the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, Finland, speaking at 'ENDO 2024', the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston, US.
For the study published in the journal Nature Gut & Liver, Agbaje analyzed data from a long-term study of a large UK birth cohort.
At ages 17 and 24, study participants underwent liver ultrasound scans to assess fatty liver and evidence of liver scarring.
According to the study, children spend an average of 6 hours per day sitting or otherwise being sedentary, but that time increases to 9 hours per day by young adulthood.
For every half hour of sedentary behavior more than 6 hours per day, children were 15 percent more likely to develop fatty liver disease before age 25.
Any increase in sedentary time beyond six hours per day resulted in a reduction in time spent in light-intensity physical activity, so less than 3 hours per day in young adulthood.
However, each additional half hour of moderate-intensity physical activity over 3 hours per day reduced the chance of severe fatty liver disease by 33 percent.
“We believe that this change in sedentary time versus light-intensity physical activity time sets the stage for disease onset and progression,” Agbaje said.
"We found that this association between immobility and liver damage is potentially causal," said Professor Andrew Agbaje of the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, Finland, speaking at 'ENDO 2024', the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston, US.
For the study published in the journal Nature Gut & Liver, Agbaje analyzed data from a long-term study of a large UK birth cohort.
At ages 17 and 24, study participants underwent liver ultrasound scans to assess fatty liver and evidence of liver scarring.
According to the study, children spend an average of 6 hours per day sitting or otherwise being sedentary, but that time increases to 9 hours per day by young adulthood.
For every half hour of sedentary behavior more than 6 hours per day, children were 15 percent more likely to develop fatty liver disease before age 25.
Any increase in sedentary time beyond six hours per day resulted in a reduction in time spent in light-intensity physical activity, so less than 3 hours per day in young adulthood.
However, each additional half hour of moderate-intensity physical activity over 3 hours per day reduced the chance of severe fatty liver disease by 33 percent.
“We believe that this change in sedentary time versus light-intensity physical activity time sets the stage for disease onset and progression,” Agbaje said.
