modulation of fibroblast growth factor-21 and βklotho proteins expression in type 2 diabetic women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease following endurance and strength training

Background: there is limited research on the effects of physical activity with moderate intensity on βklotho (bkl) and fibroblast growth factor-21 (fgf-21) proteins expression in diabetic patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (nafld). objectives: this study was aimed to determine the effects of eight weeks of endurance and resistance training on bkl and fgf-21 proteins expression in diabetic women with nafld. methods: forty-five diabetic women (age: 51 ± 8 years, height: 158 ± 2 cm, weight: 75 ± 8 kg) with nafld participated. the subjects were randomly divided into three groups, including control (n = 15), endurance training (n = 15), and resistance training (n = 15). the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) was used to measure bkl and fgf-21 proteins. two-way anova with repeated measures was applied to determine differences at a significant level of p < 0.05. results: eight weeks of endurance and resistance training reduced ast, alt, and fgf-21 (25, 26, 19% and 13, 16, 13%, respectively) and increased bkl (16% and 18, respectively). however, in the variables of hdl, insulin, ast, alt, fgf-21, and bkl, a significant difference was observed in the control group (p < 0.05). also, there was a significant difference between the control and training groups in bkl and fgf21 proteins expression (p < 0.05), but no significant difference was observed between the two training groups (p > 0.05). conclusions: the results suggest that both moderate-intensity endurance and resistance training can modulate the destructive effects of type 2 diabetes and nafld on bkl and fgf-21 proteins expression, and there is no difference between the two training methods.