The Association of Physical Activity Level and the Risk Factors of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in the Elderly Female Patients

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming more prevalent among elderly women. Sedentary lifestyle is an important etiological factor of NAFLD. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the association between physical activity level (PAL) and the risk factors of NAFLD in the elderly female patients. Methods: This study was conducted on 40 elderly women with NAFLD, who were aged 62.25 ± 1.97 years, weighed 86.70 ± 3.81 kilograms, and had the body mass index (BMI) of 34.54 ± 2.38 kg/m2. The women were selected from 90 volunteers. The PAL was measured using the rapid assessment of physical activity (RAPA) questionnaire. As the outcomes, we measured anthropometric indices, sitting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, lipid profile, glycemic indices, liver enzymes, and fatty liver grade in the fasting state. The outcome variables were statistically normalized and expressed as mean and standard deviation (SD). The association between the PAL and NAFLD risk factors was evaluated using Pearson’s correlation-coefficient. Results: The risk factors of NAFLD were inversely correlated with the PAL, except for high-density lipoprotein, which was positively correlated with the PAL (r = 0.495; P = 0.001). In addition, low PAL had a significant correlation with a higher fatty liver grade (r = -0.464; P = 0.003), while the PAL was inversely associated with the NAFLD risk factors. Conclusions: According to the results, the PAL and fatty liver grade had a significant correlation, which indicated the potential health benefits of adequate PAL for the elderly women with NAFLD.