Aerobic Fitness Can Prevent Alcohol-Induced Liver Damage

Prolonged alcohol consumption can lead to liver damage, but following higher levels of aerobic exercises can nullify the alcohol effects, revealed a new study.

A study published in the Journal Biomolecules reported that aerobic fitness can prevent alcohol-related liver damage. The study was conducted by lead author Dr.Jamal Ibdah along with his colleagues at the University of Missouri.

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‘Increased levels of aerobic exercises can help prevent alcohol-induced fatty deposits and inflammation in the liver.’

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Researchers conducted the experiment with mice, dividing them into a chronic alcohol group and control group, Mice in the chronic alcohol group was fed with alcohol for six weeks and various liver parameters were monitored. Along with alcohol, the mice were also highly physically active.

The parameters included free fatty acids, serum glucose, triglycerides and blood insulin. After the period, researchers found that the triglycerides, fatty acids, insulin and glucose levels did not increase in the chronic alcohol group compared to the control group.

They concluded that chronic alcohol consumption did not cause significant inflammation in the liver in rats with higher physical activity levels.

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"This is significant because chronic alcohol ingestion may reduce insulin effectiveness over time, leading to elevated blood insulin and sugar levels. With chronic use, we would expect to see these levels much higher than the control group, yet surprisingly, they were about the same,” said Jamal Ibdah, lead author of the study.

Reference: Jamal A. Ibdah, Nicholas Szary et al. High Intrinsic Aerobic Capacity Protects against Ethanol-Induced Hepatic Injury and Metabolic Dysfunction: Study Using High Capacity Runner Rat Model, Biomolecules 2015, 5(4), 3295-3308; doi:10.3390/biom5043295.

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