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CompletedNCT03660579BEER-HIITUpdated Sep 6, 2018

Beer or Ethanol Effects on the Response to High Intensity Interval Training: A Controlled Study in Healthy Individuals

An interventional study of HIIT-AB Group and HIIT-NAB Group in Drinking, Alcohol and Exercise, sponsored by Universidad de Granada. Completed at 1 site in Spain. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 40 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-09-06.

Sponsored by Universidad de Granada · Not applicable, Interventional, and Health services research

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 6 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jan 2018, registered Jul 2018).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
80
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 40 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

HIIT-BEER will determine the effect of habitual and moderate beer intake (330-660 ml / day, 5 days / week) on physical fitness, body composition, psychokinetic abilities and psychological status in sedentary healthy adults undergoing a HIIT training program.

Read the detailed description

Aims:

To determine the effect of habitual and moderate consumption of beer on physical fitness, body composition, psychokinetic and cognitive abilities and psychological status in sedentary healthy adults undergoing a HIIT training program.

The primary hypothesis will that a HIIT program will induce an improvement on physical fitness, body composition, psychokinetic abilities and psychological responses compared to a control group but this positive effect could be blunted by alcohol intake.

Methods:

HIIT-BEER will recruit 80 sedentary, healthy, adults (50% women) aged 18-40 years.

Will be performed a 10-week controlled trial in which the effects of HIIT will be compared to a control group without training. The effects of habitual intake of different alcoholic beverage will be also compared.

After completing the baseline measurements, the selected participants will be randomly assigned to either the control or the exercise training groups. The participants included in the training groups will be asked to choose individual choice about their drinking preference for alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. The participants who chose alcohol intake will be randomly assigned into the training group with alcohol beer intake (5.4% Alcohol-Special Alhambra®, Cervezas Alhambra, Spain) or to the sparkling water group with exactly the same amount of distilled alcohol added. The distilled alcoholic beverage used for the investigator's study will be vodka because of the purity of its composition (37.5% ethanol and 62.5% water). The participants who chose non-alcoholic beverages will be randomized into the training groups of non-alcohol beer (0.0% alcohol-Cruzcampo®, Heineken España) or sparkling water (Eliges (IFA) Eliqua 2®, Font Salem, Spain) intakes.

So, eligible participants will be assigned to five groups: (i) a group that will performed HIIT and will consumed 330 ml (women) or 2x300 ml (men) of beer with 5.4% alcohol (HIIT-AB, n=16); (ii) a group that will performed HIIT and will consumed the same amount of beer without alcohol (0.0%) (HIIT-NAB; n=16); (iii) a group that will performed HIIT and will consumed the same amount of sparkling water (0.0%) (HIIT-W; n=16); (iv) a group that will performed HIIT and will consumed sparkling water with the same amount of alcohol than the pre-established beer (5.4%) (HIIT-ASW; n=16); and (v) a control group that will not perform any physical training program (CON; n=16).

The beverage intakes will be programmed from Monday to Friday. There will not specific recommendation for Saturday and Sunday, but the participants will be instructed to keep a moderate alcohol during the weekend.

Laboratory measures completed at baseline and 10 weeks later, include physical fitness (cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength), body composition, hearth rate variability (HRV), reaction time, cognitive variables and health-related questionnaires. The investigators will also obtain dietary habits data and cardiovascular disease risk factors.

02

Conditions studied

  • Drinking, Alcohol
  • Exercise

Keywords

  • Physical fitness
  • Recovery
  • Stress
  • Training
  • HIIT
  • Beer
03

In context

Alcohol Drinking

939 studies on the registry are indexed under Alcohol Drinking; 169 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 80 is below the median of 108 across 813 interventional studies indexed under Alcohol Drinking.

Browse Alcohol Drinking studies →

Lead sponsor

Universidad de Granada is the lead sponsor of 244 studies on the registry; 41 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 40 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age: 18-40 years
  • BMI:18.5-25 kg/m2
  • Not engaged in regular physical activity >20min on >3days/week
  • Not participating in a weight loss programme
  • Stable weight over the last 5 months (body weight changes>5kg)
  • Participant must be capable and willing to provide consent, understand exclusion criteria and accept the randomized group assignment
  • Normal electrocardiogram
  • Not personal family history related to alcohol consumption.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of cardiovascular disease
  • Diabetes
  • Pregnancy or planning to get pregnant during study period
  • Beta blockers or benzodiapezins use
  • Taking medication for thyroid
  • Other significant conditions that are life-threatening or that can interfere with or be aggravated by exercise
  • Unwillingness to either complete the study requirements or to be randomized into control or training group
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
80 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    HIIT-CON

    No intervention: Control

  • Experimental
    HIIT-AB Group

    Intake: 330ml (women) or 2x300 ml (men) of beer with 5.4% alcohol. The beverage intakes will be programmed from Monday to Friday. Training: The volume in HIIT 40-65 min/week at high intensity. HIIT with short intervals. Frequency two times/week. Load variation. Gradual progression to control the exercise dose. Periodization divided in: familiarization phase, phase I, phase II. Sessions. The participants will performed 8 weight-bearing exercises (in circuit form) 2 times/set with an active rest (walking at 6 RPE scale) as many times at as defined. The HIIT intensity will controlled by RPE (0-10 RPE scale). All sessions will be started with a dynamic standardized warm-up, including several muscle activation exercises, and will be ended with a cooling-down protocol.

    Other: HIIT-AB Group

  • Experimental
    HIIT-NAB Group

    Intake: 330 ml (women) or 2x300 ml (men) of beer without alcohol (0.0%). The beverage intakes will be programmed from Monday to Friday. Training: The volume in HIIT 40-65 min/week at high intensity. HIIT with short intervals. Frequency two times/week. Load variation. Gradual progression to control the exercise dose. Periodization divided in: familiarization phase, phase I, phase II. Sessions. The participants will performed 8 weight-bearing exercises (in circuit form) 2 times/set with an active rest (walking at 6 RPE scale) as many times at as defined. The HIIT intensity will controlled by RPE (0-10 RPE scale). All sessions will be started with a dynamic standardized warm-up, including several muscle activation exercises, and will be ended with a cooling-down protocol.

    Other: HIIT-NAB Group

  • Experimental
    HIIT-SW Group

    Intake: 330 ml (women) or 2x300 ml (men) of sparkling water. The beverage intakes will be programmed from Monday to Friday. Training: The volume in HIIT 40-65 min/week at high intensity. HIIT with short intervals. Frequency two times/week. Load variation. Gradual progression to control the exercise dose. Periodization divided in: familiarization phase, phase I, phase II. Sessions. The participants will performed 8 weight-bearing exercises (in circuit form) 2 times/set with an active rest (walking at 6 RPE scale) as many times at as defined. The HIIT intensity will controlled by RPE (0-10 RPE scale). All sessions will be started with a dynamic standardized warm-up, including several muscle activation exercises, and will be ended with a cooling-down protocol.

    Other: HIIT-SW Group

  • Experimental
    HIIT-ASW Group

    Intake: 330 ml (women) or 2x300 ml (men) of sparkling water with 5.4% alcohol.The beverage intakes will be programmed from Monday to Friday. Training: The volume in HIIT 40-65 min/week at high intensity. HIIT with short intervals. Frequency two times/week. Load variation. Gradual progression to control the exercise dose. Periodization divided in: familiarization phase, phase I, phase II. Sessions. The participants will performed 8 weight-bearing exercises (in circuit form) 2 times/set with an active rest (walking at 6 RPE scale) as many times at as defined. The HIIT intensity will controlled by RPE (0-10 RPE scale). All sessions will be started with a dynamic standardized warm-up, including several muscle activation exercises, and will be ended with a cooling-down protocol.

    Other: HIIT-ASW Group

Interventions

  • OtherHIIT-AB Group

    Group that performed HIIT and consumed 330 ml (women) or 2x300 ml (men) of beer with 5.4% alcohol.

  • OtherHIIT-NAB Group

    Group that performed HIIT and consumed 330 ml (women) or 2x300 ml (men) of beer without alcohol (0.0%).

  • OtherHIIT-SW Group

    Group that performed HIIT and consumed the same amount of sparkling water (0.0%).

  • OtherHIIT-ASW Group

    Group that performed HIIT and consumed sparkling water with the same amount of alcohol than the pre-established beer (5.4%).

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Physical Fitness Cardiorespiratory fitness

    Cardiorespiratory fitness measure through a maximum treadmill test (VO2 max.).

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Physical Fitness: Muscular strength (Bosco Test)

    Muscle strength measure through: Bosco test.

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  2. Physical Fitness: Muscular strength (Handgrip strength)

    Muscle strength measure through: Handgrip strength.

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  3. Body composition (DXA)

    Body composition measure through: Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  4. Body composition (Weight)

    Body composition measure through: Anthropometry (Weight in kg).

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  5. Body composition (Height)

    Body composition measure through: Anthropometry (Height in meter).

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  6. Body composition (Hip perimeter)

    Body composition measure through: Anthropometry (Hip perimeter in cm)

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  7. Body composition (Waist circumference)

    Body composition measure through: Anthropometry (Waist circumference in cm).

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  8. Body composition (Neck perimeter)

    Body composition measure through: Anthropometry (Neck perimeter in cm).

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  9. Heart Rate Variability

    Measure by Polar RS800CX.

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  10. Reaction time

    Measure by Vienna Test System.

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  11. Memory

    Measure by Spanish-Complutense Verbal Learning Test (TAVEC)

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  12. Attention

    Measure by D2 Test.

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  13. Working Memory

    Measure by Numbers and Letters (WISC-IV).

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  14. Verbal fluency

    Verbal fluency assessment test.

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  15. Questionnaires and Scales

    Measure by: * PREDIMED Questionnaire on Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. * Beverage Intake Questionnaire (PREDIMED). * Questionnaire of the Five Great Factors of the Personality (BFQ). * Satisfaction with life (SWL). * Health questionnaire (SF-36). * International Fitness Scale Questionnaire (IFIS). * Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). * Life Orientation test questionnaire (LOT-R). * Sexual desire questionnaire. * Sexual functioning questionnaire. * Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. * Profile of Mood States Questionnaire (POMS). * Scale of Subjective Happiness. * Emotional Intelligence Scale (TMMS). * Scale Panas of positive and negative affect. * Perceived stress scale (PSS). * Scale of assessment of mood (EVEA). * Eating habits questionnaire. * Spanish versión of Three Factor EatingQuestionnaire-R18 (TFEQ-SP) * Scale of regulation of the behavior in physical exercise (BREQ-2). * Scale of measurement of the orientations of goals in the exercise (GOES)

    Time frame: Baseline and through study completion, an average of 10 weeks.

  16. Questionnaires and Scales

    Measure by: (BDI-II); PREDIMED Questionnaire on Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet ; Sexual desire questionnaire; Sexual functioning questionnaire; Eating habits questionnaire; Beverage Intake Questionnaire (PREDIMED); Perceived stress scale (PSS); Scale of Subjective Happiness; EVEA; IFIS; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; BFQ; LOT-R; PANNAS; POMS; SWLS; TMMS-24 and TFEQ-SP.

    Time frame: Every week

  17. Questionaires and Scales

    Measure by: PSS; EVEA; PANNAS; TMMS-24

    Time frame: Every two weeks

  18. Questionnaires and Scales

    Measure by: Scale of Subjective Happiness; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; POMS; BREQ-2 and GOES.

    Time frame: Every three weeks

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Universidad de Granada
    Granada, Andalusia 18071, Spain
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Navarro-Lomas G, De-la-O A, Dote-Montero M, Castillo MJ, Amaro-Gahete FJ, Plaza-Florido A. Moderate alcohol intake and heart rate variability adaptations to high-intensity interval training in healthy young adults: the BEER-HIIT study. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2026 Aug 25;13:1920023. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2026.1920023. eCollection 2026. PubMed 42712702 ↗
  • Molina-Hidalgo C, De-la-O A, Dote-Montero M, Amaro-Gahete FJ, Castillo MJ. Influence of daily beer or ethanol consumption on physical fitness in response to a high-intensity interval training program. The BEER-HIIT study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2020 May 27;17(1):29. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-00356-7. PubMed 32460793 ↗
09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Jan 2018 to primary completion in May 2018, 4 months.

Of 429 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Alcohol Drinking, half reached primary completion within 27 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 46. This study's 4 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 443 studies reached it within 26 months; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 46.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jul 20, 2018
First posted
Sep 6, 2018
StartActual
Jan 20, 2018
Primary completionActual
May 20, 2018
CompletionActual
Jun 1, 2018
Last update
Sep 6, 2018
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 6, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03660579
Responsible party
Manuel Castillo Garzón (University Professor, Universidad de Granada) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 6, 2018
Start date
Jan 20, 2018
Primary completion
May 20, 2018
Completion
Jun 1, 2018
Last update
Sep 6, 2018

Study contacts

Manuel J. Castillo Garzón
principal investigator · Universidad de Granada

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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