ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07215533Updated Oct 10, 2025

Effects of HIIT vs. TRE on Type 2 Diabetes Risk

An interventional study of High-intensity interval training and Time-restricted eating in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and High-intensity Interval Training, sponsored by Syracuse University. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 14 Years to 30 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-10-10.

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

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Sep 2025, 1 year 1 month ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Registered 1 year 1 month after the study started (first participant enrolled Mar 2024, registered Apr 2025).
  • Started Mar 2024; still recruiting 2 years 7 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
14 Years to 30 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The primary aim of this randomized controlled trial is to examine the effects of a 4-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and time-restricted eating (TRE) intervention on cardiometabolic biomarkers in adolescents and young adults.

Read the detailed description

As of 2015, an estimated 2 billion individuals were overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25 kg/m2), and one-third of them were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Obesity has become a serious health concern due to its related comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). While adolescents and young adults are considered low risk for the development of CVD, individuals with obesity are still at a greater risk of CVD development than individuals without obesity. Changes to dietary and fitness habits are currently the first-line recommendations for preventing weight gain and improving cardiometabolic health in adolescents and young adults.

Caloric restriction (CR), which involves reducing caloric intake by up to 50% of normal daily calorie intake, is a common dietary intervention approach for weight management and improving cardiometabolic health in adolescents and adults with obesity.9 However, studies have shown that CR is hard to maintain, and individuals tend to regain the weight after the intervention is completed. Time-restricted eating (TRE) has been proposed as an alternative to calorie restriction (CR). TRE, a type of short-term fasting, is defined as periods of no caloric intake followed by periods of ad libitum (as much as desired) caloric intake. The fact that TRE does not intentionally limit energy intake, whereas CR does, could make it more appealing to individuals in terms of adherence, acceptability, and efficacy. TRE is an effective strategy in reducing body fat percentage and waist circumference in adolescents and adults with obesity.

Moreover, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which involves repeating short periods of intense activity followed by low-intensity breaks, has been shown to be effective in improving cardiometabolic health (including lipids, blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity) in adults with obesity compared to other traditional exercises. In addition to its benefits on cardiometabolic health, previous studies have suggested that HIIT can be a time-efficient strategy to enhance body composition and cardiopulmonary fitness in adults with obesity.1

However, it is unknown if TRE or HIIT will produce a greater improvement in cardiometabolic health. Therefore, the goal of this study is to examine the independent effect of a 4-week TRE and HIIT intervention on cardiometabolic biomarkers in youth and young adults.

02

Conditions studied

  • Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
  • Metabolic Diseases
  • High-intensity Interval Training
  • Time-restricted Eating

Keywords

  • High-intensity Interval Training
  • Time-restricted Eating
  • Obesity
  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Youth
  • Young Adults
03

In context

Obesity

11,522 studies on the registry are indexed under Obesity; 2,033 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 67 across 9,006 interventional studies indexed under Obesity.

Browse Obesity studies →

Lead sponsor

Syracuse University is the lead sponsor of 33 studies on the registry; 7 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
14 Years to 30 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

  • Adolescents (age 14-17 years old with sex- and race-specific percentile ≥85th) and young adults with overweight and obesity (age 18 to 30 years old with BMI ≥25 kg/m2)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Chronic medical conditions: heart disease, arrhythmias, diabetes, thyroid disease, bleeding disorder, history of pulmonary disease, hypertension, hepatorenal disease, musculoskeletal disorder, neuromuscular/neurological disease, disease, cancer, peptic ulcers, anemia, or chronic infection ().
  • Have taken any heart, pulmonary, thyroid, anti-hyperlipidemic, hypoglycemic, anti- hypertensive, endocrinologic (e.g., thyroid, insulin, etc.), emotional/psychotropic (e.g., Prednisone, Ritalin, Adderall), neuromuscular/neurological, or androgenic medications (anabolic steroids).
  • Have a pacemaker.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

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.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

05

Study design

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

Study arms

  • Experimental
    High-intensity interval training

    HIIT: The 4-week HIIT intervention will use a stationary bicycle performed 3 times/week (a total of 12 sessions over the 4-week), performing at the CRL. All participants will perform a 20-minute HIIT protocol (20 repetitions of 10-seconds work time followed by 50-seconds resting/active recovery for the first two weeks, and 10 repetitions of 20-seconds work time followed by 100-seonds resting/active recovery for the rest of two weeks; targeted 90% HRmax) after 5-minute warm-up (10% HRmax). The supervisor (PI: Joon Young Kim and/or Graduate researcher: Wonhee Cho) will provide encouragement and supervision for exercise adherence. Heart rate (Polar, Polar Electro Oy, Kempele, Finland) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE; detail described in the questionnaire section) will be recorded.

    Behavioral: High-intensity interval training

  • Experimental
    Time-restricted eating

    Participants randomized into the TRE group will be instructed to consume all their calories within a 10-hour period. We will instruct participants that they can choose their time-window (early TRE \[7am - 5pm\] or late TRE \[1pm - 11pm\]), but it must remain constant for the duration of the study. Further, we will give no restrictions on the type of foods and/or the quantities individuals can consume. We will ask individuals to maintain their diet for the duration of the study. Participants will be given clear instructions on their diet and how to use the "MyFitnessPal" application. Participants will have their total daily energy requirement calculated using the following formula (Basal metabolic rate \[BMR\] x activity level) and will be told to eat that amount within their allotted time window. BMR will be calculated when participants have their body composition taken by the InBody. Participants will be told to start their 4-week diet the following day after visit.

    Behavioral: Time-restricted eating

  • No intervention
    Control Group

    Participants randomized into the control group will be told to maintain their daily lifestyle and dietary habits for the duration of the four weeks.

Interventions

  • BehavioralHigh-intensity interval training

    The 4-week HIIT intervention will use a stationary bicycle performed 3 times/week (a total of 12 sessions over the 4-week), performing at the CRL. All participants will perform a 20-minute HIIT protocol (20 repetitions of 10-seconds work time followed by 50-seconds resting/active recovery for the first two weeks, and 10 repetitions of 20-seconds work time followed by 100-seonds resting/active recovery for the rest of two weeks; targeted 90% HRmax) after 5-minute warm-up (10% HRmax). The supervisor (PI: Joon Young Kim and/or Graduate researcher: Wonhee Cho) will provide encouragement and supervision for exercise adherence. Heart rate (Polar, Polar Electro Oy, Kempele, Finland) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE; detail described in the questionnaire section) will be recorded.

    Also known as: HIIT

  • BehavioralTime-restricted eating

    Participants randomized into the TRE group will be instructed to consume all their calories within a 10-hour period. We will instruct participants that they can choose their time-window (early TRE \[7am - 5pm\] or late TRE \[1pm - 11pm\]), but it must remain constant for the duration of the study. Further, we will give no restrictions on the type of foods and/or the quantities individuals can consume. We will ask individuals to maintain their diet for the duration of the study. Participants will be given clear instructions on their diet and how to use the "MyFitnessPal" application. Participants will have their total daily energy requirement calculated using the following formula (Basal metabolic rate \[BMR\] x activity level) and will be told to eat that amount within their allotted time window. BMR will be calculated when participants have their body composition taken by the InBody. Participants will be told to start their 4-week diet the following day after visit.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Weight (kg)

    Weight is measured in kilograms (kg) using a calibrated digital scale.

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  2. Height (cm)

    Height is measured in centimeters (cm) using a wall-mounted stadiometer.

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  3. Body Mass Index (BMI)

    Weight and height will be combined to report BMI in kg/m².

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  4. Waist Circumference and Hip Circumference

    Waist and hip circumferences are measured while participants stand straight with their arms extended outward. A non-elastic tape measure is wrapped around the waist and hip, and measurements are taken to the nearest centimeter (cm).

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  5. Blood Lipid Profile

    Blood lipid profile, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and fasting glucose (FG) are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) using the Cholestech LDX Analyzer. Blood samples are obtained via fingerstick, with the first drop wiped away and the second drop collected for analysis. Participants stand or sit comfortably during collection. After blood collection, the site is cleaned and covered with gauze and a bandage as needed. This procedure is minimally invasive and typically causes little discomfort.

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  6. Blood Pressure

    Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) are measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), and resting heart rate (RHR) is measured in beats per minute (bpm) using an automated blood pressure monitor. Participants sit quietly for five minutes with minimal movement prior to measurement. A cuff is placed on the right upper arm (bicep area), and the monitor initiates inflation, deflation, and reinflation cycles. Participants are instructed not to move during the measurement process. All equipment is disinfected before and after each use with antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal disposable wipes by a researcher wearing gloves.

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  7. Carotid-Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity

    Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), a preclinical marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD), is measured in meters per second (m/s) using applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor, AtCor Medical). Participants are positioned supine on a padded exam table after resting quietly for approximately five minutes. Brachial blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) using an automated cuff device. Pressure waveforms are recorded at the carotid artery (neck) and femoral artery (upper leg) using a handheld tonometer. The time delay between carotid and femoral pulse waves is used to calculate PWV, an indicator of arterial stiffness. The procedure is non-invasive and typically requires approximately five minutes to complete.

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  8. Glucose (mg/dL)

    After a 10- to 12-hour overnight fast, participants undergo a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the Clinical Research Unit, SUNY Upstate Medical University. Venous blood samples are collected at -15, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes relative to glucose ingestion. At time 0 minutes, participants consume a commercially prepared standard 75-gram glucose solution; youth participants receive 1.75 grams of glucose per kilogram of body weight, not exceeding 75 grams total. After the final blood collection at 120 minutes, participants are provided a snack and continue their study visit. Blood is collected in pre-chilled aprotinin/EDTA tubes and processed for analysis of glucose (mg/dL).

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  9. Insulin (μIU/mL)

    After a 10- to 12-hour overnight fast, participants undergo a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the Clinical Research Unit, SUNY Upstate Medical University. Venous blood samples are collected at -15, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes relative to glucose ingestion. At time 0 minutes, participants consume a commercially prepared standard 75-gram glucose solution; youth participants receive 1.75 grams of glucose per kilogram of body weight, not exceeding 75 grams total. After the final blood collection at 120 minutes, participants are provided a snack and continue their study visit. Blood is collected in pre-chilled aprotinin/EDTA tubes and processed for analysis of insulin (μIU/mL).

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  10. C-peptide (ng/mL)

    After a 10- to 12-hour overnight fast, participants undergo a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the Clinical Research Unit, SUNY Upstate Medical University. Venous blood samples are collected at -15, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes relative to glucose ingestion. At time 0 minutes, participants consume a commercially prepared standard 75-gram glucose solution; youth participants receive 1.75 grams of glucose per kilogram of body weight, not exceeding 75 grams total. After the final blood collection at 120 minutes, participants are provided a snack and continue their study visit. Blood is collected in pre-chilled aprotinin/EDTA tubes and processed for analysis of C-peptide (ng/mL).

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  11. Total glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) (pmol/L)

    After a 10- to 12-hour overnight fast, participants undergo a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the Clinical Research Unit, SUNY Upstate Medical University. Venous blood samples are collected at -15, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes relative to glucose ingestion. At time 0 minutes, participants consume a commercially prepared standard 75-gram glucose solution; youth participants receive 1.75 grams of glucose per kilogram of body weight, not exceeding 75 grams total. After the final blood collection at 120 minutes, participants are provided a snack and continue their study visit. Blood is collected in pre-chilled aprotinin/EDTA tubes and processed for analysis of total glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) (pmol/L).

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  12. Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) (pg/mL)

    After a 10- to 12-hour overnight fast, participants undergo a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the Clinical Research Unit, SUNY Upstate Medical University. Venous blood samples are collected at -15, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes relative to glucose ingestion. At time 0 minutes, participants consume a commercially prepared standard 75-gram glucose solution; youth participants receive 1.75 grams of glucose per kilogram of body weight, not exceeding 75 grams total. After the final blood collection at 120 minutes, participants are provided a snack and continue their study visit. Blood is collected in pre-chilled aprotinin/EDTA tubes and processed for analysis of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) (pg/mL).

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  13. Leptin (ng/mL)

    After a 10- to 12-hour overnight fast, participants undergo a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the Clinical Research Unit, SUNY Upstate Medical University. Venous blood samples are collected at -15, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes relative to glucose ingestion. At time 0 minutes, participants consume a commercially prepared standard 75-gram glucose solution; youth participants receive 1.75 grams of glucose per kilogram of body weight, not exceeding 75 grams total. After the final blood collection at 120 minutes, participants are provided a snack and continue their study visit. Blood is collected in pre-chilled aprotinin/EDTA tubes and processed for analysis of leptin (ng/mL).

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  14. Adiponectin (μg/mL)

    After a 10- to 12-hour overnight fast, participants undergo a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the Clinical Research Unit, SUNY Upstate Medical University. Venous blood samples are collected at -15, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes relative to glucose ingestion. At time 0 minutes, participants consume a commercially prepared standard 75-gram glucose solution; youth participants receive 1.75 grams of glucose per kilogram of body weight, not exceeding 75 grams total. After the final blood collection at 120 minutes, participants are provided a snack and continue their study visit. Blood is collected in pre-chilled aprotinin/EDTA tubes and processed for analysis of adiponectin (μg/mL).

    Time frame: Time Frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  15. Ghrelin (pg/mL)

    After a 10- to 12-hour overnight fast, participants undergo a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the Clinical Research Unit, SUNY Upstate Medical University. Venous blood samples are collected at -15, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes relative to glucose ingestion. At time 0 minutes, participants consume a commercially prepared standard 75-gram glucose solution; youth participants receive 1.75 grams of glucose per kilogram of body weight, not exceeding 75 grams total. After the final blood collection at 120 minutes, participants are provided a snack and continue their study visit. Blood is collected in pre-chilled aprotinin/EDTA tubes and processed for analysis of ghrelin (pg/mL).

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  16. C-reactive protein (CRP) (mg/L)

    After a 10- to 12-hour overnight fast, participants undergo a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the Clinical Research Unit, SUNY Upstate Medical University. Venous blood samples are collected at -15, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes relative to glucose ingestion. At time 0 minutes, participants consume a commercially prepared standard 75-gram glucose solution; youth participants receive 1.75 grams of glucose per kilogram of body weight, not exceeding 75 grams total. After the final blood collection at 120 minutes, participants are provided a snack and continue their study visit. Blood is collected in pre-chilled aprotinin/EDTA tubes and processed for analysis of C-reactive protein (CRP) (mg/L).

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

  17. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) (pg/mL)

    After a 10- to 12-hour overnight fast, participants undergo a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the Clinical Research Unit, SUNY Upstate Medical University. Venous blood samples are collected at -15, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes relative to glucose ingestion. At time 0 minutes, participants consume a commercially prepared standard 75-gram glucose solution; youth participants receive 1.75 grams of glucose per kilogram of body weight, not exceeding 75 grams total. After the final blood collection at 120 minutes, participants are provided a snack and continue their study visit. Blood is collected in pre-chilled aprotinin/EDTA tubes and processed for analysis of

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

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 Mar 2024 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2025, 18 months after the start.

Of 3,680 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Obesity, half reached primary completion within 23 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 43. This study's planned 18 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 3,843 studies reached it within 22 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 42.

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

Registered
Apr 28, 2025
First posted
Oct 10, 2025
StartActual
Mar 15, 2024
Primary completionEst.
Sep 30, 2025
CompletionEst.
Dec 30, 2025
Last update
Oct 10, 2025
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 Oct 10, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07215533
Lead sponsor
Syracuse University
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 10, 2025
Start date
Mar 15, 2024
Primary completion
Sep 30, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 30, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 10, 2025

Study contacts

Wonhee Cho, MS, PhD Candidate
Contact
wcho02@syr.edu
+16267270270
Joon Young Kim, PhD, PhD
Contact
jkim291@syr.edu

Oversight

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

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