Enhancing sleep quality in non-alcoholic fatty liver with combined accelerated aerobic training: a randomized control study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Exercise constitutes a crucial and well-established component of changing lifestyle to control non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Accelerating training (AT) involves activating skeletal muscles through heightened gravity acceleration using vibration, rendering it a recommended therapeutic intervention. AIM. To determine the impact of incorporating AT with aerobic exercise on sleep quality and liver function in NAFLD. MATERIALS AND METHODS. This randomized control trial recruited 60 female NAFLD patients aged 35–45 years from Al-Shrouk General Hospital in Cairo. The participants were equally allocated at random into two groups: A (control group) received aerobic exercise, and B (intervention group) received AT plus aerobic exercise and followed a three-month intervention program. Before and after the interventions, sleep quality was assessed through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and liver function was evaluated by measuring alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transferase (AST) hepatic enzymes in the blood. RESULTS. Both PSQI scores (p 0.05) and ALT enzyme levels were significantly (p was 0.005 and 0.006, respectively) improved in groups A and B after the three-month intervention program. However, the AST levels exhibited a non-significant change in both groups (p was 0.569 and 0.027, respectively). CONCLUSION. Combining aerobic exercise and AT may provide the best clinical benefits to NAFLD patients.

Keywords

• non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• accelerating training
• aerobic exercise
• whole-body vibration
• sleep quality