The effects of probiotic supplementation and exercise training on liver enzymes and cardiometabolic markers in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver ailment worldwide, in which nonpharmacological strategies have a considerable role in the treatment. Probiotic supplementation as well as physical exercise can improve cardiometabolic parameters, but further research is needed to determine the effects of combined treatment versus exercise alone in managing NAFLD-associated biomarkers, primarily liver enzymes, lipid markers, and insulin resistance.

Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of probiotic supplementation, combined with exercise versus exercise alone, on liver enzymes and cardiometabolic markers in patients with NAFLD.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials was performed by searching PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases up to April 2024. The search was restricted to articles published in the English language and human studies. Random effects models were used to calculate weighted mean differences (WMD).

Results: Pooled estimates (9 studies, 615 patients, intervention durations ranging from 8 to 48 weeks) revealed that probiotics plus exercise decreased aspartate transaminase (AST) [WMD=-5.64 U/L, p = 0.02], gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) [WMD=-7.09 U/L, p = 0.004], low-density lipoprotein (LDL) [WMD=-8.98 mg/dL, p = 0.03], total cholesterol (TC) [WMD=-16.97 mg/dL, p = 0.01], and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) [WMD=-0.94, p = 0.005] significantly more than exercise only. However, probiotics plus exercise did not significantly change high-density lipoprotein (HDL) [WMD = 0.07 mg/dL, p = 0.9], fasting insulin [WMD=-1.47 µIU/mL, p = 0.4] or fasting blood glucose (FBG) [WMD=-1.57 mg/dL, p = 0.3] compared with exercise only. While not statistically significant, there were clinically relevant reductions in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) [WMD=-6.78 U/L, p = 0.1], triglycerides (TG) [WMD=-21.84 mg/dL, p = 0.1], and body weight (BW) [WMD=-1.45 kg, p = 0.5] for probiotics plus exercise compared with exercise only. The included studies exhibited significant heterogeneity for AST (I² = 78.99%, p = 0.001), GGT (I² = 73.87%, p = 0.004), LDL (I² = 62.78%, p = 0.02), TC (I² = 72.41%, p = 0.003), HOMA-IR (I² = 93.86%, p = 0.001), HDL (I² = 0.00%, p = 0.9), FBG (I² = 66.30%, p = 0.01), ALT (I² = 88.08%, p = 0.001), and TG (I² = 85.46%, p = 0.001). There was no significant heterogeneity among the included studies for BW (I² = 0.00%, p = 0.9).

Conclusion: Probiotic supplementation combined with exercise training elicited better results compared to exercise alone on liver enzymes, lipid profile, and insulin resistance in patients with NAFLD.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration number CRD42023424290.