title: Lifestyle intervention in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Chengyang District, Qingdao, China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of a 6 and 12 mo lifestyle modification intervention in nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) in Chengyang District of Qingdao.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants with NAFLD who had resided in Chengyang District for more than 5 years were enrolled in this study. After the 6 and 12 mo lifestyle modification intervention based on physical activity, nutrition and behavior therapy, parameters such as body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase values, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, fasting insulin and visceral fat area (VFA), the liver-spleen ratio and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were evaluated and compared between participants with and without the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven hundred and twenty-four participants were assigned to the lifestyle intervention group (LS) and 363 participants were assigned to the control group (CON). After the intervention, body weights in the LS group were significantly decreased compared to those in the CON group at 6 mo (11.59% ± 4.7% vs 0.4% ± 0.2%, P = 0.001) and at 12 mo (12.73% ± 5.6% vs 0.9% ± 0.3%, P = 0.001). Compared with the CON group, BMI was more decreased in the LS group after 6 and 12 mo (P = 0.043 and P = 0.032). Waist circumference was more reduced in the LS group than in CON (P = 0.031 and P = 0.017). After the 6 and 12 mo intervention, ALT decreased significantly in the LS group (P = 0.003 and P = 0.002). After 6 and 12 mo, the metabolic syndrome rate had decreased more in the LS group compared with the CON group (P = 0.026 and P = 0.017). After 12 mo, the HOMA-IR score decreased more obviously in the LS group (P = 0.041); this result also appeared in the VFA after 12 mo in the LS group (P = 0.035).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lifestyle intervention was effective in improving NAFLD in both 6 and 12 mo interventions. This intervention offered a practical approach for treating a large number of NAFLD patients in the Chengyang District of Qingdao.
authors.affiliation: Wei-Hui Sun, Jian-Lin Ma, Ying-Xun Liu, Lei Ma, Qiang Wan, Lin Zhou, Rong Ren, Ling-Fang Meng, Hepatology Department, Qingdao Chengyang People's Hospital, Qingdao 266100, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Hui
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Ming-Quan
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Chang-Qing
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yong-Ning
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Jian-Lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Ying-Xun
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Zhong-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chang-Yan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lei-Lei
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Xiang-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Ling-Fang
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Meng