How Exercise Signals Health Responses

USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Overweight

Treatments: Other: Control no exercise; Other: 50% heart rate reserve (HRR) low intensity exercise; Other: 75% HRR moderate intensity exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT04307212

GFHNRC409

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this research is to determine the blood signals that promote health and well-being in response to exercise at different intensities.

Full description

Most studies find a dose-response relationship between exercise participation and all-cause mortality. In contrast, physical inactivity and consequent overweight or obese status is associated with a cadre of health consequences. Frequently, comorbidities of obesity are mechanistically linked via chronic low grade inflammation stemming from increases in adiposity. Although exercise is known to combat obesity and obesity related disease states, the mechanisms of action are not fully understood. Therefore, the investigators propose the following study in an attempt to elucidate anti- and pro-inflammatory endocrine responses to exercise. Initial studies in animal models have provided evidence that exercise induces long-term anti-inflammatory effects, potentially via myokine signaling following skeletal muscle activation. Humans are an ideal study population as the investigators can prescribe multiple exercise protocols that mimic human behavior, and control exercise intensity to meet recommendations. Also, humans allow the investigators to collect larger plasma samples and therefore measure more circulating proteins of interest over multiple time-points. Finally, the investigators can select individuals that exercise at different frequencies, allowing the investigators to analyze the differences in endocrine responses to exercise over differing levels of fitness. In summary, a human model will allow for a much better understanding of the human condition.

Enrollment: 41 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 50 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• No tobacco use
• Not pregnant, lactating, or planning to become pregnant in the next 6 months
• Regular menses for the past 6 months
• No use of hormone replacement for metabolic conditions (use of hormonal contraceptives are not exclusionary)
• No physical limitations
• Has the ability to safely perform exercise

Exclusion criteria

• Has no major health problems
• Cannot have known cardiovascular (cardiac, peripheral vascular, cerebrovascular), pulmonary (COPD, interstitial lung disease, cystic fibrosis) or metabolic (diabetes, thyroid disorders, renal or liver disease) disease

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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41 participants in 2 patient groups

Trained

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants who have been CrossFit training at least 3 times per week for the previous 3 months. These individuals will be invited in person to participate in the study.

Treatment:

Other: 75% HRR moderate intensity exercise

Other: 50% heart rate reserve (HRR) low intensity exercise

Other: Control no exercise

Untrained

Active Comparator group

Description:

Nonactive/non--exercise trained participants who have participated in any type of exercise no more than 2 times per week for the past 3 months. These individuals will be recruited from the general public.

Treatment:

Other: 75% HRR moderate intensity exercise

Other: 50% heart rate reserve (HRR) low intensity exercise

Other: Control no exercise