 |
|
People with type 2 diabetes can put fatty livers on a diet with moderate exercise
September 22, 2008Weekly bouts of moderate aerobic exercise on a bike or treadmill, or a brisk walk, combined with some weightlifting, may cut down levels of fat in the liver by up to 40 percent in people with type 2 diabetes, a study by physical fitness experts at Johns Hopkins shows.
According to researchers, who will present their findings on Sept. 18 at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, in Indianapolis, high liver fat levels are common among people with type 2 diabetes and contribute to heart disease risk.
The study's lead investigator, exercise physiologist Kerry Stewart, Ed.D., says the rise in the number of people with nonalcoholic fatty liver, mostly due to obesity, signals "a dark trend" because the disease, also called hepatic steatosis, may lead to cirrhosis and subsequent liver failure and transplantation, even cancer, as well as increased risk of diabetes-related heart disease.
"People with type 2 diabetes have added reason to be active and to exercise, not just because it is good for their overall health, but also because our study results pinpoint a key benefit to trimming the fatty liver that complicates their illness and which could accelerate heart disease and liver failure," says Stewart, a professor of medicine and director of clinical and research exercise physiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Heart and Vascular Institute.
A majority of the quarter-million people who die each year from all kinds of diabetes do so as a result of some form of heart disease or stroke. And excess body fat is known to increase the likelihood of potentially life-threatening illness because the fat leads to more inflammation in the artery walls, high blood pressure and elevated blood cholesterol levels.
Stewart says the team's study is believed to be the first to specifically demonstrate the beneficial role played by exercise in controlling hepatic fat levels in people with diabetes.
In the study, 77 diabetic men and women in Baltimore, Md., were divided into two groups.
For a six-month period, half of the study participants were put through a moderate program of sustained aerobic exercise consisting of 45-minute sessions three times a week. They could bicycle, run on a treadmill or take brisk walks. In addition, they lifted stacked weights for about 20 minutes, also three times a week, and not at a heavy-duty pace. The other half of the participants were asked to avoid any formal aerobic fitness or gym classes.
Special magnetic resonance imaging scans performed at the start and end of the study showed much lower levels of liver fat in the active group, while levels remained the same in the nonexercising group (at 5.6 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively). Physical fitness exams were also done.
Among the team's other findings were better measures in general fitness and fatness among exercisers when compared to the nonexercising group. Averages for peak oxygen uptake levels during treadmill testing, or V02 levels, were greater by 13 percent (25.1 milliliters per kilogram per minute, compared to 22.2 milliliters per kilogram per minute), muscles were stronger by 7 percent (lifting 216.7 pounds, as opposed to 202.8 pounds for seven exercises tested), while percentages of body fat and body weight were each lower by 6 percent (35.5 percent versus 33.2 percent, and 98.5 pounds versus 92.2 pounds, respectively). Even waistlines shrunk on average by 2 inches (39 inches, compared to 41 inches).
"The benefits in improved fitness and fatness are clear, and physicians should really have all people with type 2 diabetes actively engaged in an exercise program," says Stewart, who plans to further promote moderate exercise through direct talks with referring physicians and through his monthly health blog to the public while he amasses more evidence about the benefits of exercise in people with the disease. An estimated 14 million Americans have been diagnosed with this most common form of diabetes, in which the body cannot use its own life-sustaining insulin and eventually stops producing it.
Stewart says his team's next steps are to analyze the long-term effect of moderate exercise on diabetes and heart disease, including any improvements in heart and blood vessel structure and function, insulin resistance and arterial inflammation.
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
"People with type 2 diabetes have added reason to be active and to exercise, not just because it is good for their overall health, but also because our study results pinpoint a key benefit to trimming the fatty liver that complicates their illness and which could accelerate heart disease and liver failure," says Stewart, a professor of medicine and director of clinical and research exercise physiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Heart and Vascular Institute.
A majority of the quarter-million people who die each year from all kinds of diabetes do so as a result of some form of heart disease or stroke. And excess body fat is known to increase the likelihood of potentially life-threatening illness because the fat leads to more inflammation in the artery walls, high blood pressure and elevated blood cholesterol levels.
Stewart says the team's study is believed to be the first to specifically demonstrate the beneficial role played by exercise in controlling hepatic fat levels in people with diabetes.
In the study, 77 diabetic men and women in Baltimore, Md., were divided into two groups.
For a six-month period, half of the study participants were put through a moderate program of sustained aerobic exercise consisting of 45-minute sessions three times a week. They could bicycle, run on a treadmill or take brisk walks. In addition, they lifted stacked weights for about 20 minutes, also three times a week, and not at a heavy-duty pace. The other half of the participants were asked to avoid any formal aerobic fitness or gym classes.
Special magnetic resonance imaging scans performed at the start and end of the study showed much lower levels of liver fat in the active group, while levels remained the same in the nonexercising group (at 5.6 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively). Physical fitness exams were also done.
Among the team's other findings were better measures in general fitness and fatness among exercisers when compared to the nonexercising group. Averages for peak oxygen uptake levels during treadmill testing, or V02 levels, were greater by 13 percent (25.1 milliliters per kilogram per minute, compared to 22.2 milliliters per kilogram per minute), muscles were stronger by 7 percent (lifting 216.7 pounds, as opposed to 202.8 pounds for seven exercises tested), while percentages of body fat and body weight were each lower by 6 percent (35.5 percent versus 33.2 percent, and 98.5 pounds versus 92.2 pounds, respectively). Even waistlines shrunk on average by 2 inches (39 inches, compared to 41 inches).
"The benefits in improved fitness and fatness are clear, and physicians should really have all people with type 2 diabetes actively engaged in an exercise program," says Stewart, who plans to further promote moderate exercise through direct talks with referring physicians and through his monthly health blog to the public while he amasses more evidence about the benefits of exercise in people with the disease. An estimated 14 million Americans have been diagnosed with this most common form of diabetes, in which the body cannot use its own life-sustaining insulin and eventually stops producing it.
Stewart says his team's next steps are to analyze the long-term effect of moderate exercise on diabetes and heart disease, including any improvements in heart and blood vessel structure and function, insulin resistance and arterial inflammation.
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Diabetes Current Events and Diabetes News RSSPediatric obesity may alter thyroid function and structure
In addition to its strong associations with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, pediatric obesity may induce alterations in thyroid function and structure, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
New study identifies link between Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in healthy adults
The Netherlands -- A study published in the November issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease provides an insight into normal, physiological levels and association between proteins involved in development of Alzheimer's disease.
Cardiovascular disease causing increasing inequity between rich and poor
A new paper released today by The George Institute for International Health is warning a cardiovascular disease based epidemic is gaining pace among many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), exemplified at its worst in the world's largest populated countries - China and India.
Antibiotics: Single largest class of drugs causing liver injury
Antibiotics are the single largest class of agents that cause idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI), reports a new study in Gastroenterology, an official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.
Persistent pollutant may promote obesity
Tributyltin, a ubiquitous pollutant that has a potent effect on gene activity, could be promoting obesity, according to an article in the December issue of BioScience.
Presence of gum disease may help dentists and physicians identify risk for cardiovascular disease
Individuals reporting a history of periodontal disease were more likely to have increased levels of inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease, compared to those who reported no history of periodontal disease.
Drink brewed tea to avoid tooth erosion
Today, the average size soft drink is 20 ounces and contains 17 teaspoons of sugar. More startling is that some citric acids found in fruit drinks are more erosive than hydrochloric or sulfuric acid-which is also known as battery acid.
Understanding how oxidative stress impairs endothelial progenitor cell function
Although its been over a decade since endothelial progenitor cells or EPCs, cells that circulate in the blood repairing and replacing the cells that line blood vessels, were identified, the field is still evolving.
Exercise helps overweight children reduce anger expression
Regular exercise seems to reduce anger expression in overweight but otherwise healthy children, researchers said.
Sealing off portion of intestinal lining treats obesity, resolves diabetes in animal model
Lining the upper portion of the small intestine with an impermeable sleeve led to both weight loss and restoration of normal glucose metabolism in an animal model of obesity-induced diabetes.
More Diabetes Current Events and Diabetes News Articles
 | The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (First Year, The) by Gretchen Becker After Gretchen Becker was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1996, she educated herself on every aspect of this chronic condition — by reading medical and scientific books and journals, talking with doctors and listening to her own body. In 2001, she marshaled everything she had learned as a "patient-expert" into the first edition of this book, which she has now completely updated and revised.... |
 | Diabetes For Dummies (For Dummies (Health & Fitness)) by Alan L., MD Rubin Covers the latest glucose meters and insulin treatments The straight facts on treating diabetes successfully and living a full life Want to know how to manage diabetes? Leading diabetes expert Dr. Alan Rubin gives you reassuring, authoritative guidance in putting together a state-of-the-art treatment program. You'll learn about all the advances in monitoring glucose, the latest... |
 | Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars by Richard K. Bernstein The standard text on living with diabetes, newly revised and updated with all the latest scientific findings. Since its first publication in 1997, DR. BERNSTEIN'S DIABETES SOLUTION has become the treatment of choice in the medical field. In this revised and updated edition of his work, Dr. Bernstein provides an accessible, detailed guide to his revolutionary approach to normalizing... |
 | The 4-Ingredient Diabetes Cookbook: Simple, Quick, and Delicious Recipes Using Just 4 Ingredients or Less by Nancy Hughes |
 | The 30-Day Diabetes Miracle: Lifestyle Center of America's Complete Program to Stop Diabetes, Restore Health,and Build Natural Vitality by Franklin House, Stuart Seale, Ian Blake Newman A revolutionary program for combating and reversing diabetes. Over the past ten years, Lifestyle Center of America has emerged as the center in the country that offers a proven-successful program to combat diabetes-and even reverse its adverse effects on the body. Now available in book form for the first time, LCA's program enables individuals to actually get to the root of their problems by... |
 | The Official Pocket Guide to Diabetic Exchanges by American Diabetes Association Every day, every meal, millions and millions of people count on the world-famous Exchange Lists for Meal Planning to make sure they're choosing the right kinds of foods and portion sizes from the various food groups. Now people with diabetes can take the Exchange Lists with them to the grocery store or to restaurants with the Official Pocket Guide to Diabetic Exchanges. Measuring just 3.5" x 6",... |
 | Reversing Diabetes: Reduce or Even Eliminate Your Dependence on Insulin or Oral Drugs by Julian Whitaker In a completely revised and updated edition of REVERSING DIABETES, Dr Julian Whitaker offers a comprehensive life-style programme that has helped more than 10,000 diabetic patients. The good news is that many diabetics can control their condition - naturally and effectively - with diet and exercise. Along with helping to reduce or even eliminate dependancy on medication, it can help diabetics... |
 | Diabetes & Heart Healthy Meals for Two by American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association Twice as tasty . . . but with half the ingredients! People with diabetes want heart-healthy recipes, since heart disease strikes people with diabetes twice as often as the rest of the population. But they also want recipes that taste great. In Diabetes & Heart Healthy Meals for Two, the two largest health associations in America team up to provide recipes that are simple, flavorful, and... |
 | Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes without Drugs by Neal D. Barnard Until Dr. Barnard’s scientific breakthrough, most health professionals believed that once you developed diabetes, you were stuck with it—and could anticipate one complication after another, from worsening eyesight and nerve symptoms to heart and kidney problems. But as this groundbreaking work reveals, this simply is not true. In a series of studies—the most recent funded by the National... |
 | Betty Crocker's Diabetes Cookbook: Everyday Meals, Easy as 1-2-3 by Betty Crocker Editors At last! This special cookbook puts flavor and choice back on the menu for people with diabetes and their families Betty Crocker, America's most trusted friend in the kitchen, has teamed up with the International Diabetes Center (IDC)--one of the leading medical centers--to create an indispensable source of easy-to-make recipes and up-to-the-minute food and nutrition information for the... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |