New research suggests that prolonged sitting and lack of physical activity could lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Medical News Today reported.

Researchers found that sedentary activities associated with prolonged sitting such as watching TV and using the computer and other devices as well as reduced physical activity.

"Our findings suggest that both increasing participation in physical activity and reducing sitting time may be independently important in reducing the risk of [non-alcoholic fatty liver disease], and underlines the importance of reducing time spent sitting in addition to promoting physical activity," Yoosoo Chang, co-author of the study, said in a statement.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from nearly 140,000 Koreans who underwent a health examination between March 2011 and December 2013. Physical activity level and sitting time were assessed using the Korean version of the international Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form. The presence of fatty liver was determined using ultrasonography.

Researchers found that of the people studied, nearly 40,000 had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Newser reported. They also found that both prolonged sitting time and decreased physical activity level were independently associated with increasing prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Remarkably, these associations were also observed in patients with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 23.

"The data ... add to the strong and alarming evidence that sitting too much and moving too little has significant negative consequences for cardio-metabolic health," said Michael I. Trenell, an expert on how lifestyle influences lifelong health and wellbeing and chronic disease. "The message is clear, our chairs are slowly but surely killing us. Our body is designed to move and it is not surprising that sedentary behavior, characterized by low muscle activity, has a direct impact on physiology."

The findings are detailed in the Journal of Hepatology.