How does physical activity affect a child’s liver health?

Content Editor: Dr. Sakshi Aggarwal

June 7, 2024 at 12:30:00 PM

Children, Liver steatosis, Non-communicable Diseases, Research findings

Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which involved 2684 participants, the research tracked these activity levels from age 11 over 13 years.
It assessed liver health and enzyme levels at age 24.
The major findings of the study include:

1. Increased sedentary time (ST) from ages 11 to 24 is associated with higher chances of developing liver cirrhosis, severe liver steatosis, and elevated liver enzyme levels (ALT, AST, and GGT) by age 24.

2. Increased light physical activity (LPA) is linked to lower odds of liver cirrhosis, severe liver steatosis, and decreased liver enzyme levels.

3. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) reduces the odds of severe liver steatosis, partly through reduced fat mass, but does not significantly impact liver cirrhosis risk.

Promoting LPA and MVPA while reducing ST in childhood helps prevent severe liver conditions in young adulthood.

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