Even if a person exercises on a daily basis for an hour or so, if the rest of the day is spent sitting, then he may be higher risk of metabolic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
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A significant portion of the sample – 40,000 – had NAFLD, and the research team concluded that prolonged sitting and dwindling levels of physical activity were independently associated with the rising number of cases of the disease.
However, the association between physical activity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been largely unexplored.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a term used to describe the accumulation of fat in the liver of those who drink little or no alcohol.
Of the study participants, almost 35% had NAFLD. “Our findings suggest that both increasing participation in physical activity and reducing sitting time may be independently important in reducing the risk of NAFLD”, said Dr. Yoosoo Chang, a co-author of the study, in a statement. The researchers looked at 47 studies and found that people who sit for long periods were 24 percent more likely to die from health problems during the studies, which lasted between 1 and 16 years, compared with people who sat less.
Prolonged sitting and lack of physical activity could lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Medical News Today reported. Physical activity level and sitting time were assessed using the Korean version of the worldwide Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form.
“The amount of time spent doing sedentary activity such as sitting at a computer or watching TV has increased dramatically in recent years”, Dr. Seungho Ryu, professor of occupational and environmental medicine at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in South Korea and lead author of the study, told Live Science. The presence of fatty liver was determined using ultrasonography.
And the association was consistent even in people with a low body mass index – findings that surprised the researchers.
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Finally, metabolism and lifestyle medicine professor, Michael Trenell, notes, “Our body is created to move, and it is not surprising that sedentary behavior, characterized by low muscle activity, has a direct impact on physiology”. “Lifestyle changes remain the cornerstone of clinical care”. “The challenge for us now is to “stand up” and move for NAFLD, both physically and metaphorically”.
