Why is inactivity bad for your liver?

For many of us, lifestyles experience increasing inactivity. With our busy schedules, we have less time to practice a physical activity and we stay seated major part of our days. This way of life proves to be harmful for your liver, and your general health.

On a long-term basis, inactivity increases the risks of having a fatty liver that can lead to a disease called steatosis, or a buildup of lipids and carbohydrate reserves in the liver
To allow your body to get rid of this lipid and carbohydrates reserve, a regular physical activity is necessary, and highly recommended.

why inactivity bad liver

Inactivity can produce a fatty liver, and in the long term, steatosis

A study published in 2015 in the medical review Journal of Hepatology by Professor Seungho Ryu demonstrated the link between a long seated position, a poor physical activity, and Non-Alcoholic-Fatty-Liver-Diseases (NAFLD).

This study has been realized by searchers from Newcastle University, among 139, 056 people, from Korean origin.

The results were striking: among these subjects, almost 40,000, or almost 30%, were affected by NAFLD.

According to Professor Michael Trenell: “The message is clear, our chairs are slowly but surely killing us: our body is meant to move and it is not surprising that a sedentary way of life, characterized by slow muscular activity, has a direct impact of Physiology.” (1) (2)

An accumulated inactivity and poor physical exercise increase the risk of Non-Alcoholic Steatosis Hepatitis (NASH).

What is steatosis hepatitis? We are talking about a liver disease due to an accumulation of lipids inside liver’s cells, called hepatocytes. (3) It can go off because of a fat diet, or an overconsumption of alcohol. Many droplets of lipids infiltrate inside the liver, to make it heavier.

In general, steatosis is asymptomatic, then hard to detect. Many precursory symptoms may appear:

  • Increase of the liver’s volume.
  • Liver’s sensitivity to palpation.
  • An uncomfortable feeling in the abdomen area.

If you do not exert yourself enough, fat might pile up inside your body. Do not hesitate to contact your doctor for more information!

A regular activity for a healthy liver

The secret is to practice a regular activity. It does not mean high level sports, but walking, running…benefit from these moments when you are not working to move! There are many possible activities: footing, swimming, long walks or hiking. Even taking the stairs over an elevator is beneficial! Then, your body will be forced to collect inside its reserves of fat, which make you lose some weight.

The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends to do 10,000 steps per day to keep fit, which corresponds approximately to 30 minutes daily walk. Do not worry, you do almost half every day (between 4,000 and 6,000 steps). Here is some advice to walk more everyday:

  • Leave your home sooner in the morning to do part of the way by foot (or maybe the entire way).
  • Increase the distance between where you park and where you work.
  • Benefit from lunch break to walk a little bit, during 10-15 minutes in the neighborhood.
  • Go to the supermarket by foot, if it is not too far away.
  • Stairs are your friends, and sometimes faster than the elevator!

 

Remember:

1 minute of bicycle corresponds to 150 steps.

1 minute of swimming to 96 steps.

1 minute pf walking to 90 steps.

So, do not hesitate: move!

Sources :

(1)    http://www.topsante.com/medecine/maladies-infectieuses/hepatites/prevenir/la-sedentarite-augmenterait-les-hepatites-458463

(2)    http://www.pourquoidocteur.fr/Articles/Question-d-actu/12131-La-sedentarite-est-nocive-pour-le-foie

(3)    http://www.vulgaris-medical.com/encyclopedie-medicale/steatose-hepatique

(4)    https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/St%C3%A9atose_h%C3%A9patique

(5)    http://www.fedecardio.org/objectif-10-000-pas