Impact of physical exercise on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD)

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic multifactorial disease characterized by excess adiposity. Adipose tissue hypertrophy favors lipid deposition in ectopic tissues, such as the liver, which favors the development of the metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), characterized by excessive accumulation of lipids in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes (fatty liver). Triglyceride overload in hepatocytes observed in obesity is associated with inflammation and insulin resistance status. Non-pharmacological strategies, such as the practice of physical exercise, seem to be an effective in reducing inflammatory markers and improving insulin sensitivity in obese individuals with MAFLD attenuating hepatocellular steatosis. Thus, this review aims to demonstrate the factors involved in the development of hepatic steatosis, as well as investigate the impact of physical exercise on insulin sensitivity and inflammatory markers in the condition of obesity-associated MAFLD.