NCT05741957

Optimal Exercise Frequency to Reduce Liver Fat in Centrally Obese Adults With Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Examining the Optimal Exercise Frequency for Alleviating Liver Fat in Centrally Obese Adults With Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): A Comparative Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 300 (estimated)
• Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 69 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study aims to examine the comparative effectiveness of different exercise frequencies (once-a-week vs. thrice-a-week) for reducing liver fat in centrally obese adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), with weekly exercise volumes aligned with the World Health Organization's physical activity recommendations.

Detailed description

This study is a three-arm randomized controlled trial. Participants will be randomly allocated to the once-a-week exercise group, thrice-a-week exercise group, or usual care control group. The exercise intervention groups will receive once-a-week or thrice-a-week exercise (with matched weekly exercise volumes). The usual care control group will receive general health education. All interventions will last for 4 months. Outcome measures will be examined at baseline, 4 months (post-intervention), and 10 months (6-month follow-up).

Conditions

• Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
• Obesity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Once-a-week Exercise	Participants in this group will participate in a supervised treadmill exercise program delivered by certified fitness instructors. The prescribed program will involve one session weekly for 4 months, and the duration of vigorous-intensity treadmill exercise per session will be 75 min. Participants will exercise with an exercising heart rate at 6-7 metabolic equivalents (METs). Health information provided to the usual care control group will be made available to the participants in this group.
BEHAVIORAL	Thrice-a-week Exercise	Participants in this group will participate in a supervised treadmill exercise program delivered by certified fitness instructors. The prescribed program will involve three sessions weekly for 4 months, and the duration of vigorous-intensity treadmill exercise per session will be 25 min. Participants will exercise with an exercising heart rate at 6-7 METs. Health information provided to the usual care control group will be made available to the participants in this group.
OTHER	Usual Care Control	Participants in this group will receive health education delivered by research personnel. This program will consist of eight two-hour bi-weekly sessions covering major health issues relating to general health and NAFLD, such as non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and a healthy lifestyle.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-03-02
• Primary completion: 2026-06-30
• Completion: 2026-12-31
• First posted: 2023-02-23
• Last updated: 2023-05-11

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Hong Kong