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Exercise Effects on Adipose Tissue Structure and Function

Exercise Effects on Adipose Tissue Structure and Function

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04812314
Acronym
LG
Enrollment
46
Registered
2021-03-23
Start date
2021-03-01
Completion date
2030-03-01
Last updated
2026-06-04

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Disease, Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity, Weight Gain, Weight Loss

Brief summary

Participants will be randomized into one of two different experimental groups: 1) Exercise group and 2) No exercise (control group). Subject participation in the study will involve a series of metabolic tests before and after participants undergo a 10% weight loss program (with or without exercise training depending on group randomization). After completing this weight loss portion of the study, participants will then be required to adhere to a high calorie diet program to regain half of the weight the participant lost - followed by the same series of metabolic tests.

Detailed description

Exercise is among the first line treatments for obesity and obesity-related diseases, yet it is shocking how little is known about how exercise works to improve health. Expanding the knowledge about novel exercise-induced adaptations in fat tissue of obese individuals and furthering the understanding about mechanisms underlying these adaptations could lead to innovative approaches for preventing and treating insulin resistance and obesity-related diseases. Overall, the researchers believe that exercise training modifies key processes in subcutaneous fat tissue that may contribute to an increase body fat storage capacity (without increasing fat mass). The research team anticipates that exercise will evoke an even more potent adaptive response when fat tissue is dynamically changing in response to alterations in nutritional status (i.e., weight loss and weight regain). Participants will be randomized into one of two different experimental groups: 1) Exercise group and 2) No exercise (control group). Subject participation in the study will involve a series of metabolic tests before and after participants undergo a 10% weight loss program (with or without exercise training depending on group randomization). After completing this weight loss portion of the study, participants will then be required to adhere to a high calorie diet program to regain half of the weight the participant lost - followed by the same series of metabolic tests. After the participant completes the study, the study team will help the participant to lose more weight. Total involvement in the study for each participant will likely be about 8-10 months.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALExercise

Participants will complete a moderate intensity continuous exercise 4 days/week.

BEHAVIORALNo exercise

Participants will remain sedentary throughout the duration of the study.

Sponsors

University of Michigan
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age: 18-40 * Body Mass Index: 27-45 kg/m2 * No regularly planned exercise/physical activity for at least 6 months * Women must have regularly occurring menses and must be premenopausal

Exclusion criteria

* Evidence/history of cardiovascular or metabolic disease * Medications known to affect lipid or glucose metabolism, or inflammation * Weight instability ≥ ± 6 pounds in the last 3 months * Tobacco or e-cigarette users * Women must not be pregnant or actively lactating

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)2 hoursA test in which glucose is given and blood samples taken afterward to determine how quickly it is cleared from the blood will be completed at each clinical visit appointment..
Adipose Tissue Fibrosis30 minutesmeasured histologically using Sirus Red Staining, quantified using ImageJ software at each clinical visit appointment.
Muscle Capillarization30 minutesmeasured immunohistochemically using an antibody for CD31, quantified using ImageJ software at each clinical visit appointment.
Adipose Capillarization30 minutesmeasured immunohistochemically using an antibody for CD31, quantified using ImageJ software at each clinical visit appointment.
Fat Cell Size3 minutesmeasured histologically using Hematoxylin and eosin (H \& E) staining, quantified using ImageJ software at each clinical visit appointment.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Blood Lipid Profile15 minutesA panel of blood tests that screens for abnormalities in blood lipids will be measured at each clinical visit appointment.
Blood Pressure10 minutesThe pressure of circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels will be measured at screening and each clinical visit appointment.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTSuzette Howton
smlstudies@umich.edu734-647-9850
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJeffrey F Horowitz, PhD

University of Michigan, School of Kinesiology

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 5, 2026