An interventional study of Exercise intervention in Type 2 Diabetes, sponsored by Hasselt University. Recruiting at 1 site in Belgium. Open to participants aged 30 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-31.
Sponsored by Hasselt University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if exercise training of high or moderate intensity is most optimal to improve brain health and prevent neurodegeneration in type 2 diabetes patients. The main question it aims to answer is:
What is the effect of exercise training of high vs. moderate intensity on brain metabolism, brain perfusion, and cognition in type 2 diabetes?
Researchers will compare the exercise training groups to a control group without exercise training to determine the effect of exercise training on the brain in type 2 diabetes.
Participants will exercise for 6 months, 3 times per week. Before and after these 6 months, they will undergo:
10,371 studies on the registry are indexed under Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; 1,406 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 75 is close to the median of 80 across 8,350 interventional studies indexed under Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2.
Browse Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 studies →Hasselt University is the lead sponsor of 204 studies on the registry; 31 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
A “mini-stroke”: temporary stroke-like symptoms caused by reduced blood flow to part of the brain, spinal cord or eye, without signs of a new stroke on a scan.
Stroke symptoms need emergency care at once, even if they go away.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
TIA (transient ischaemic attack)
A “mini-stroke”: temporary stroke-like symptoms caused by reduced blood flow to part of the brain, spinal cord or eye, without signs of a new stroke on a scan.
Stroke symptoms need emergency care at once, even if they go away.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
This arm will receive 6 months of exercise training at high intensity (105% VT2)
Other: Exercise intervention
This arm will receive 6 months of exercise training at moderate intensity (60% VT2)
Other: Exercise intervention
This arm won't receive exercise training
The exercise intervention entails 6 months of supervised exercise on a hometrainer at high or moderate intensity, 3 times per week
Neurometabolite levels
Levels of N-acetylaspartate, choline, myo-inositol, creatine, glutathion, and glutamate, measured in institutional units (i.u.) by means of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Changes in arterial spin labelling measured by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Changes in cerebral perfusion expressed in mL/100g/min, and blood flow through the blood-brain-barrier expressed in milliseconds
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Levels of neurodegenerative blood biomarkers
Tau (pg/mL), amyloid beta (pg/mL), S100B (ng/mL), neurofilament light (pg/mL) etc.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Blood lipid profile
This outcome measure includes assessments of the lipid profile, reported in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or millimoles per liter (mmol/L): High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), Triglycerides, Free Fatty Acids, Total Cholesterol
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Brain volume
Total and regional (LHIPP, mPFC, PCC) brain volumes
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging
DWI will be used to measure differences in Brownian motion of water molecules within the brain
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Fasted blood glucose
Fasting Glucose: Reported in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or millimoles per liter (mmol/L).
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Kidney function (eGFR)
Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR): Reported in milliliters per minute per 1.73 m² (mL/min/1.73 m²).
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Cognitive function: MoCA
Cognitive function as assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), scored on a scale of 0-30.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Cognitive function: Face recognition test
Cognitive function as assessed by the Face Recognition Test, reported as the number of correct identifications.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Cognitive function: Object location test
Cognitive function as assessed by the Object Location Test, reported as the number of correct placements.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Cognitive function: Trail making test
Cognitive function as assessed by the Trail Making Test, reported as time to completion (seconds) for Parts A and B.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Cognitive function: Stroop colour and word test
Cognitive function as assessed by the Stroop Color and Word Test, reported as time to completion (seconds) or number of errors.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Cognitive function: Rey auditory verbal learning test
Cognitive function as assessed by the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, reported as the number of words recalled.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Subjective cognitive function
Cognitive function as assessed by the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire, scored on a scale of 0-100.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Peak load during CPET
The maximum load achieved during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) on a bicycle, measured in watts.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
VO2peak during CPET
The peak oxygen consumption measured during CPET, indicating the maximal capacity for oxygen utilization during exercise. Unit of Measure: Milliliters per kilogram per minute (mL/kg/min).
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Fasted blood HbA1c
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c): Reported as a percentage (%).
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Fasting insulin
Fasting Insulin: Reported in micro-international units per milliliter (μIU/mL) or picomoles per liter (pmol/L).
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Kidney function (creatinine)
Creatinine: Reported in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or micromoles per liter (μmol/L).
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months
Plan to share: Undecided
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.