Journal of North Khorasan

Abstract Background and Objective: Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) is as a part of a broad spectrum of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and its prevalence is increasing in parallel with the increasing prevalence of obesity. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of restricted diet with or without aerobic training program on cardio respiratory fitness and anthropometric indices in patients with NASH. Materials and Methods: Twenty-three NASH patients aged 25 to 50 were randomly divided into two groups: restricted diet accompanied by aerobic exercise (n=12) and diet alone (n=12). The caloric intake in both groups included 500 Kcal less than the estimated daily energy requirement. In addition to the diet the first group participated in an aerobic exercise program for a period of 8 weeks, 3 days a week with a 55–60% heart rate reserve. Anthropometric indices and peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) were measured before and after eight weeks of intervention. Data were analyzed by Paired Samples and Independent-Samples T Test The different with P<0.05 were considered significant. Results: Results showed a significant decrease in anthropometric measurements and a significant increase in peak oxygen consumption in both groups. There was, however, a significant difference between the two groups in Waist Circumference, Waist to Hip Ratio, Waist to Height Ratio and VO2peak. Conclusion: Results from this study showed that the combined program of aerobic exercise with diet was more effective than diet alone on reducing central obesity and visceral adiposity and improving cardio respiratory fitness in patients with NASH.