Included studies—exercise programming details
| Study | Study duration, frequency and session times | Intervention | Exercise intensity | Total exercise programme energy expenditure (kcal) | Number of participants exercise (Con) | Method of IHF assessment | Base ALT (IU/L) mean (SD) | Change in body mass (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise vs Con or exercise vs exercise | ||||||||
| Al-Jiffri et al38 | 12 weeks 3 times/week 30 min | A vs Con | A: 65–75% maximum HR | NR | A: 50 C: 50 | Liver biopsy | A: 74.6 (9.3) C: 73.3 (8.9) | NR |
| Bacchi et al20 | 16 weeks 3 times/week 60 min | A vs R | A: 60–65% HRR R: 70–80% IRM | NR | A: 13 R: 17 | MRI | A: 24.7 (11.6) R: 32.4 (25.6) | NR |
| Balducci 2014 | 52 weeks 2 times/week NR | C vs Con | 55–75% peak VO2 60% 1RM | NR | C: 303(303) | NR | C: 31.8 (16.9) Con: 29.7 (14.8) | NR |
| Bonekamp et al21 | 26 weeks 3 times/week 45 min | C vs Con | A: moderate R: 50% 1RM | 13 650 | 28 (17) | MRS | NR | NR |
| Hallsworth et al24 | 8 weeks 3 times/week 45–60 min | R vs Con | 50–70% 1RM | NR | 11 (8) | MRI | R: 59.6 (38.6) Con: 61.6 (41.4) | R: 0.0 Con: +0.6 |
| Johnson et al25 | 4 weeks 3 times/week 30–45 min | A vs Con | 50–70% peak VO2 | 3800 | 12 (7) | MRI | R: 35.7 (19.5) Con: 37.7 (11.3) | A: −0.3 Con: −0.2 |
| Keating et al26 | 8 weeks LO:HI: 3 days/week 60 min, 180–240 min/week HI:LO and LO:LO: 3 days/week 45 min, 90–135 min/week | LO:HI, HI:LO and LO:LO vs Con | LO:HI 50% peak VO2 HI:LO 70% peak VO2 LO:LO 50% peak VO2 | LO:HI: 11.474 HI:LO: 8443 LO:LO: 4838 | LO:HI: 12 HI:LO: 12 LO:LO: 12 Con: 12 | MRS | LO:HI: 21.8 (3.6) HI:LO: 24.3 (3.0) LO:LO: 21.8 (3.6) Con: 32.3 (6.8) | LO:HI: −1.4 HI:LO: −1.3 LO:LO: +0.1 Con: +0.8 |
| Levinger et al28 | 10 weeks 3 times/week 2–6 sets, 12–15 rep | R vs Con | 75–85% 1RM | NR | HiMF: 15 (15) LoMF: 12 (13) | NA | NR | NR |
| Shojaee-Moradie et al30 | 6 weeks 3 times/week 20 min | A vs Con | 60–85% peak VO2 | 3586 | 10 (7) | MRS | NR | A: +0.2 Con: −0.8 |
| Slentz et al7 | 34 weeks 3 times/week 19.2 km/week | 1. A vs R 2. A vs C | A: 75% peak VO2 R: 70% 1RM | NA | A: 48 R: 52 C: 44 | CT | A: 31.7 (17.7) R: 29.3 (13.7) C: 31.5 (13.9) | A: −2.0 R: +0.7 C: −2.1 |
| Sullivan et al33 | 16 weeks 5 times/week 30–60 min | A vs Con | 45–55% peak VO2 | 21 325 | 12 (6) | MRS | A: 45.6 (29.8) Con: 33.7 (14.7) | A: −0.2 Con: +0.2 |
| Thompson et al35 | 24 weeks 4 times/week 30–60 min | A vs Con | 50–70% peak VO2 | NR | 20 (21) | NA | A: 30.2 (16.2) Con: 30.4 (12.9) | A: −1.6 Con: +0.2 |
| Zelber-Sagi et al37 | 12 weeks 3 times/week 40 min | R vs Con | NR | NR | 33 (31) | Ultrasound | R: 53 (36.6) Con: 50 (37.2) | R: −0.39 Con: +0.33 |
| Exercise and diet vs diet | ||||||||
| Al-Jiffri et al38 | 12 weeks 3 times/week 30 min | A vs Con | 65–75% MHR | NR | 50 (50) | NR | A: 46.9 (5.4) C: 47.2 (6.1) | NR |
| Bozetto et al22 | 8 weeks 2 times/week 45 min | Diet 1 and A vs diet 1 Diet 2 and A vs diet 2 | 70% peak VO2 | 3320 | Diet 1 and A: 10 (9) Diet 2 and A: 9 (8) | MRS | Diet 1 and A: 263 (22) Diet 1: 22 (8) Diet 2 and A: 28 (8) Diet 2: 34 (34) | Diet 1 and A: 0 Diet 1: 0 Diet 2 and A: 0 Diet 2: 0 |
| Goodpaster et al23 | 52 weeks A or 26 weeks Con 5 times/week 60 min | Diet and A vs diet | Diet and A: 12 m moderate Diet: 6 m moderate | NR | Diet and A: 67 (63) | CT | Diet and A: 30.58 (NR) Diet: 30.3 (NR) | Diet and A: −10.9 Diet: −8.16 |
| Larson-Meyer et al27 | 26 weeks 5 times/week Individualised | Diet and A vs diet | NR | Individualised | Diet and A: 11 (12) | MRS | Diet and A: 19.6 (9.7) Diet: 23.8 (13.8) | Diet and A: −8.2 Diet: −8.1 |
| Promrat et al31 | 10 000 steps/day | Diet and A vs diet | Moderate | NA | Diet and A: 21 (10) | NR | Diet and A: 85.6 (38.8) Diet: 85.5 (36.5) | Diet and A: −8.7 Diet: −0.5 |
| Shah et al29 | 26 weeks 3 times/week 90 min | Diet and C vs diet | 70–85% MHR or 65–80% 1RM | 23 400 | Diet and C: 9 (9) | MRS | Diet and C: 28.4 (3.8) Diet: 32.6 (4.1) | Diet and C: −8.3 Diet: −9.2 |
| Straznicky et al32 | 12 weeks 3.5 times/week 40 min | Diet and A vs diet | 65% MHR | 15 294 | Diet and A: 19 (20) | NA | Diet and A: 26 (NR) Diet: 24 (NR) | Diet and A: −8.7 Diet: −7.1 |
| Tamura et al34 | 2 weeks 5–6 times/week 2–3×30 min | Diet and A vs diet | 50–60% peak VO2 | NR | Diet and A: 7 (7) | MRS | Diet and A: 27.9 (8.5) Diet: 31.3 (6.6) | NR |
| Yoshimura et al36 | 12 weeks 3 times/week 60 min plus 120 min/week walking ≥300 min/week | Diet and A vs diet | Moderate | 3067 | Diet and A: 15 (18) | CT | NR | Diet and A: −5 Diet: −5.4 |
1RM, 1 repetition maximum; A, aerobic exercise; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; C, combined aerobic plus resistance exercise; Con, control; HI:LO, high intensity:low volume aerobic exercise; HiMF, high metabolic risk factors; HRR, heart rate reserve; IHF, interhepatic fat; LO:HI, low intensity:high volume aerobic exercise; LO:LO, low intensity:low volume aerobic exercise; LoMF, low metabolic risk factors; MHR, maximum heart rate; MRS, magnetic resonance spectroscopy; NA, not applicable; NR, not reported; R, resistance exercise.