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Can exercise melt away liver fat?
NCT ID NCT06994871
First seen Sep 10, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing whether aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, or a combination of both can reduce liver fat in adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. The trial enrolls 186 people aged 18 to 45 with a body mass index between 25 and 40 and evidence of excess liver fat on MRI. Participants follow one of the exercise programs for 12 weeks, and researchers measure changes in liver fat using MRI. The study also tracks liver scarring and liver enzyme levels.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- structured exercise programs: aerobic training, resistance training, or both combined
- What this could lead to
- If exercise lowers liver fat, it could offer a low-cost, drug-free way to manage fatty liver disease and possibly reduce liver scarring.
- What could go wrong
- Exercise may not reduce liver fat enough to matter, and sticking with a 12-week program is hard. The trial is small and single-center, so results may not apply to everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 186 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 45 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease pantients with high willingness and compliance; 2. Age: 18-45 years old; 3. BMI: 25-40kg/m2; 4. Liver MRI-PDFF \> 10%; 5. Weight change \<3% within 3 months before the intervention; 6. Being sedentary (≤60 minutes/week of moderate intensity exercise) 7. Without diabetes, or combined with type 2 diabetes (lifestyle control and glycated hemoglobin ≤7%). Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with a history of excessive alcohol consumption: Excessive alcohol consumption was defined as an average daily consumption of more than 20g of ethanol in women and 30g in men. 2. Other types of chronic liver disease: such as viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, autoimmune liver disease, Wilson's disease, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, hemochromatosis, drug-induced liver disease, etc. 3. Combined with other metabolic diseases: such as type 1 diabetes, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, cushing syndrome, etc. 4. Patients with cardiovascular disease: such as uncontrolled hypertension, acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction, severe arrhythmia requiring medical therapy, etc. 5. Patients with cerebrovascular diseases: such as cerebral hemorrhage, ischemic stroke, etc. 6. Patients with the history of biliary obstruction, neuromuscular disease, skeletal deformity, severe osteoporosis, chronic kidney disease, and malignancy. 7. Patients used drugs which may have potential effects on MASLD within 1 year before randomization, including PPAR agonist, SGLT2 inhibitor, GLP1 receptor agonist, insulin, etc. 8. Patients with the history of bariatric surgery, major surgery within 8 weeks before randomization, etc, 9. Patients were enrolled in another clinical trial for the treatment of MASLD or weight loss within 1 year before randomization. 10. Pregnancy, lactation period, or women who plan to pregnant within 6 months before randomization. 11. Patients with mental healthy problems requiring medication. 12. Inability or unwillingness to undergo magnetic resonance imaging, including claustrophobia, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and pacemakers. 13. Patients cannot complete 12-week exercise plan due to some reasons, such as frequent business trips. 14. After assessment, patients are not suitable or unable to participate in this clinical trial due to personal reasons.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Department of Endocrinology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School
Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, China
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Department of Endocrinology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School
Nanjing, China
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