Effects of different exercise modalities on novel hepatic steatosis indices in overweight women with type 2 diabetes

Background/Aims: Fatty liver is a clinical and pathologic condition in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of different exercise modalities on non-alcoholic fatty liver indices (fatty liver index [FLI], lipid accumulation product [LAP], hepatic steatosis index [HSI], and Framingham Steatosis Index [FSI]) in women with T2D. Methods: Fifty-two women with T2D and a mean age of 55.07 +/- 5.92 yrs, body mass index (BMI) 28.94 +/- 4.09 kg/m(2), and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) 9.41 +/- 0.82% were randomized to a sprint interval training (SIT) (n=17), combined aerobic and resistance (A+R) training (n=17), or control group (n=18) for 10 weeks. Two-way repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to find differences between groups and the effects of time and TimexGroup interactions after 10 weeks on non-alcoholic fatty liver indices. After this, ANOVA models were constructed to determine the effects of group allocation and change in non-alcoholic fatty liver indices. Results: There were significant time interactions for FLI (P<0.001), HSI (P<0.001), and LAP (P<0.001). Also, there were significant TimexGroup interactions for fasting blood glucose (P=0.034), and HbA1c (P=0.006). Conclusions: Results highlight that exercise training, independent of mode of training, is an effective strategy to improve some indices related to hepatic steatosis and blood glucose profiles in women with T2D.