An interventional study of neuromuscular electrical stimulation in Fat Metabolism, sponsored by Colorado State University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 40 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-26.
Sponsored by Colorado State University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
The study will find out if 100 minutes of electrical stimulation of muscle prevents the unfavorable consequence of insufficient exercise.
Exercise resistance is characterized by the absence of exercise induced improvements in fat metabolism following a meal, and results from prolonged sedentary behavior between successive workouts (i.e. 2+ sedentary days between exercise bouts). The suggested energy expenditure threshold for avoiding exercise resistance is the equivalent of walking \~8,500 steps/day. However, population data indicate that the typical adult in the US only walks 5,000 steps/day (i.e. 3,500 steps below the threshold). Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) evokes skeletal muscle contractions and increases energy expenditure. The hypothesis to be explored in this current proposal is: NMES will prevent exercise resistance. The plan is to induce exercise resistance via short-term abstention from activity other than exercise, and then on a separate occasion, use NMES to prevent exercise resistance (i.e. the short-term abstention from exercise will be "replaced" with NMES).
2,426 studies on the registry are indexed under Motor Activity; 1,161 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 24 is below the median of 60 across 2,118 interventional studies indexed under Motor Activity.
Browse Motor Activity studies →Colorado State University is the lead sponsor of 112 studies on the registry; 19 are open to participants now.
Of its 5 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 3 (60%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Study participants will complete treadmill exercise. During the same day, they will walk a minimum of 8,500 steps. The next day, fat oxidation will be measured after eating a high-fat meal.
Study participants will complete treadmill exercise. They will walk no more than 5,000 steps on the same day. The next day, fat oxidation will be measured after eating a high-fat meal.
Study participants will complete treadmill exercise. They will walk no more than 5,000 steps on the same day. They will receive 100 minutes of neuromuscular electrical stimulation. The next day, fat oxidation will be measured after eating a high-fat meal.
Other: neuromuscular electrical stimulation
The study participants will engage in 100-minutes of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). NMES pads are sticky pieces of plastic, similar in size to a 25-cent coin. The pads will be placed on the bellies of thigh muscles (the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis), and calf muscles (the long and short head of the gastrocnemius). These skeletal muscles are selected due to their size (thereby promoting a bigger increase for metabolic rate compared with a small muscle), because they are relatively superficial, and because previous published studies of NMES used these anatomical locations.
Fat oxidation
Circulating triglyceride concentration after eating a high fat meal.
Time frame: Blood will be sampled and triglyceride concentration measured. Study participants will eat a meal. Blood will be sampled and triglyceride concentration measured every 30-minutes for 4 hours.
Plan to share: No — Group descriptive statistics (e.g. average and standard deviation) will be shared.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Colorado State University