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Active, not recruitingNCT05417698GHRexDUpdated Dec 2, 2024

Evaluation of Lifestyle Modification on Cardiovascular Risk

An interventional study of Exercise Only (Ex only) and Exercise and Mediterranean Diet (Ex + MedDiet) in Metabolic Syndrome, Menopause and Cardiovascular Diseases, sponsored by Swansea University. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to female participants aged 45 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-12-02.

Sponsored by Swansea University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Aug 2025, 1 year 2 months ago, but the record still lists the study as active, not recruiting.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
45 Years to 65 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

This study proposes to examine the independent and combined effects of an 8-week home-based, equipment-free HIIT exercise intervention with/without Mediterranean diet through ghrelin-mediated alteration in overweight and obese metabolic women to improve cardiovascular-risk related markers and metabolic risk factors.

Read the detailed description

This is a randomised-controlled study investigating the independent and combined effects of a home-based, equipment-free high intensity interval training (HIIT) exercise intervention with/without the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) through ghrelin-mediated alteration on body composition, cardiovascular risk-related markers, metabolic markers and obesity-related hormones in postmenopausal women. The intervention will last for 8-weeks, with three arms comprising of 1) exercise only (Ex); 2) exercise and MedDiet (Ex+MedDiet); 3) control (no intervention).

02

Conditions studied

  • Metabolic Syndrome
  • Menopause
  • Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Obesity
  • Type2diabetes

Keywords

  • Ghrelin
  • Postmenopause
03

In context

Metabolic Syndrome

2,011 studies on the registry are indexed under Metabolic Syndrome; 334 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 60 is close to the median of 60 across 1,494 interventional studies indexed under Metabolic Syndrome.

Browse Metabolic Syndrome studies →

Lead sponsor

Swansea University is the lead sponsor of 41 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
45 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
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

  • Female
  • Participants >45-65 years of age
  • Body mass index (BMI) >25.0 - 35.0
  • Postmenopausal (with spontaneous amenorrhea for the last 12 months)
  • Healthy (no known diseases)
  • Physically inactive (IPAQ score - category I and not engaged in at least 60 min/week of structured exercise during the previous 6 months)
  • Generally well enough to exercise.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any inclusion criteria not met
  • Abnormal ECG
  • Current smokers
  • Current or history of substance abuse and/or excess alcohol intake
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Cancer
  • Gastrointestinal disease e.g. inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome
  • Kidney disease
  • Liver disease
  • Pancreatitis
  • On hormone therapy for \<6 months
  • Prescribed anti-hypertensive or beta-blocker medication
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Exercise only (Ex only)

    Participants in the "Exercise only" group will be performing home-based, equipment-free HIIT exercise for 20 minutes, 3 times a week for the duration of the 8-weeks, achieving ≥80% of predicted heart rate maximum (HRmax; 220-age) during the high-intensity intervals. Participants are also required to exercise at least 17 out of 20 on the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale.

    Other: Exercise Only (Ex only)

  • Experimental
    Exercise and Mediterranean Diet (Ex + MedDiet)

    Participants in Ex+MedDiet arm will be required to adhere to a non-caloric restrictive Mediterranean diet throughout the 8-weeks according to a Mediterranean diet booklet provided by the researcher. In brief, diet encompasses a focus on minimally processed food, incorporating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes and wholegrains, whilst utilising olive oil as the main source of fat. They will be encouraged to eat more oily and white fish, with moderate consumption of nuts, poultry and dairy products, and low consumption of red/processed meat and alcohol. Participants in this group will also be performing home-based, equipment-free HIIT exercise for 20 minutes, 3 times a week for the duration of the 8-weeks, achieving ≥80% of predicted heart rate maximum (HRmax; 220-age) during the high-intensity intervals. Participants are also required to exercise at least 17 out of 20 on the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale.

    Other: Exercise and Mediterranean Diet (Ex + MedDiet)

  • No intervention
    Control

    Participants will be asked to maintain their diet and physical activity levels throughout the 8 weeks.

Interventions

  • OtherExercise Only (Ex only)

    Unsupervised, home-based, equipment-free high-intensity interval training of 20 minutes exercise performed 3 times a week, for a duration of 8-weeks. Participants will perform exercises to their own suitability in a progressive manner throughout the 8-weeks. Exercises will be exerted at least ≥80% of predicted heart rate maximum (HRmax; 220-age) during the high-intensity intervals, as well as at least 17 out of 20 Rate of Perceived Exertion on the Borg Scale.

  • OtherExercise and Mediterranean Diet (Ex + MedDiet)

    Participants in Ex+MedDiet arm adhere to a non-caloric restrictive Mediterranean diet throughout the 8-weeks comprising of a diet encompassing a focus on minimally processed food, incorporating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes and wholegrains, whilst utilising olive oil as the main source of fat. They will be encouraged to eat more oily and white fish, with moderate consumption of nuts, poultry and dairy products, and low consumption of red/processed meat and alcohol. Participants will also perform unsupervised, home-based, equipment-free high-intensity interval training of 20 minutes exercise performed 3 times a week, for a duration of 8-weeks. Participants will perform exercises to their own suitability in a progressive manner throughout the 8-weeks. Exercises will be exerted at least ≥80% of predicted heart rate maximum (HRmax; 220-age) during the high-intensity intervals, as well as at least 17 out of 20 Rate of Perceived Exertion on the Borg Scale.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Visceral adiposity index (VAI)

    Assessed at baseline and post-intervention (Week 1 and Week 8). VAI calculated based on their waist circumference, BMI, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol levels. Waist circumference will be recorded in centimetres. BMI will be combined based on weight (kilograms) and height (metres) as kg/m\^2. Triglycerides and HDL cholesterol levels will be assessed from fasting blood collected from the antecubital vein via venepuncture. Triglycerides and HDL will be recorded in mmol/L.

    Time frame: Baseline to 8 weeks

  2. Inflammatory markers

    Assessed at baseline and post-intervention (Week 1 and Week 8). IL-6, CRP, IL-10, TNF-α will be assessed from fasting blood collected from the antecubital vein via venepuncture.

    Time frame: Baseline to 8 weeks

  3. Blood lipid levels

    Assessed at baseline and post-intervention (Week 1 and Week 8). Triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol will be assessed from fasting blood collected from the antecubital vein via venepuncture. All blood lipids will be recorded in mmol/L.

    Time frame: Baseline to 8 weeks

  4. Blood pressure

    Assessed at baseline and post-intervention (Week 1 and Week 8). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be obtained from the participant's left arm after resting for at least 10 minutes. Blood pressure will be recorded in mmHg.

    Time frame: Baseline to 8 weeks

  5. Insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR)

    Assessed at baseline and post-intervention (Week 1 and Week 8). Calculated based on blood glucose levels (mmol/L) and insulin (pmol/L) from fasting blood collected from the antecubital vein via venepuncture.

    Time frame: Baseline to 8 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Circulatory levels of ghrelin

    Assessed at baseline and post-intervention (Week 1 and Week 8). Fasting circulatory levels of acyl and des-acyl ghrelin will be assessed from fasting blood collected from the antecubital vein via venepuncture. Acyl and des-acyl ghrelin will be recorded in pg/mL.

    Time frame: Baseline to 8 weeks

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Swansea University
    Swansea, sa2 8pp, United Kingdom
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

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

Started Aug 2022 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2025, 36 months after the start.

Of 594 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Metabolic Syndrome, half reached primary completion within 20 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 40. This study's planned 36 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 640 studies reached it within 20 months; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 40.

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

Registered
Apr 11, 2022
First posted
Jun 14, 2022
StartActual
Aug 15, 2022
Primary completionEst.
Aug 15, 2025
CompletionEst.
Aug 15, 2025
Last update
Dec 2, 2024
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 Dec 2, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05417698
Lead sponsor
Swansea University
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 14, 2022
Start date
Aug 15, 2022
Primary completion
Aug 15, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 15, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Dec 2, 2024

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Nov 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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