Physical activity intensity and markers of inflammation in those with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

AIMS: To investigate associations between objectively measured light (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) physical activity on plasma homocysteine and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in individuals with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).

METHODS

This study was a secondary analysis using data from 2003 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey including a total of 983 individuals with NAFLD. Physical activity was assessed over 7 days with accelerometers. Participants were split into tertiles based on average daily minutes of LPA or MVPA and CRP and homocysteine were assessed across tertiles.

RESULTS

Adjusted plasma homocysteine and CRP were not different between groups regarding levels of LPA (Homocysteine: 1st tertile - 10.4 ± 0.7 µmol/L; 2nd tertile - 9.6 ± 0.4 µmol/L; 3rd tertile - 9.6 ± 0.4 µmol/L; p = 0.28; CRP: 1st tertile - 0.79 ± 0.12 mg/dL; 2nd tertile - 0.73 ± 0.09 mg/dL; 3rd tertile - 0.73 ± 0.09 mg/dL; p = 0.72). Adjusted CRP was significantly (p = 0.02) different across MVPA tertiles (1st: 0.87 ± 0.13 mg/dL; 2nd: 0.75 ± 0.10 mg/dL; 3rd:0.65 ± 0.09).

CONCLUSIONS

LPA does not appear to be effective at improving homocysteine or CRP levels in individuals with NAFLD. However, MVPA may be an effective therapy for decreasing CRP in NAFLD patients.