An interventional study of Tailored Exercise and Dietary Lifestyle Program and Usual Clinical Care in Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and Obesity & Overweight, sponsored by University of Eastern Finland. Recruiting at 4 sites in Finland. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-02-24.
Sponsored by University of Eastern Finland · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is strongly associated with obesity and excess body fat. Lifestyle interventions, including exercise and dietary modification, may reduce AF burden, but long-term randomized controlled trial evidence with objective AF burden assessment and advanced cardiac imaging is limited.
The MOVE-AF trial is a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate whether a 12-month tailored exercise and dietary lifestyle intervention, compared with usual care, reduces atrial fibrillation burden and symptom severity and decreases cardiac and total body fat mass in overweight and obese adults with paroxysmal or persistent AF.
Obesity is a major modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation and contributes to AF pathophysiology through systemic inflammation, autonomic imbalance, and adverse cardiac remodeling, including increased epicardial and atrial fat. Although exercise and weight reduction have been shown to improve AF-related outcomes, robust long-term randomized evidence integrating exercise, dietary intervention, objective AF burden monitoring, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is lacking.
MOVE-AF is a parallel-group, open-label randomized controlled trial enrolling 158 overweight or obese adults with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent AF. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to receive either a tailored exercise and dietary lifestyle intervention plus usual care or usual care alone. The intervention consists of individualized guideline-based aerobic and resistance exercise combined with dietary counseling aimed at reducing body fat mass.
Main outcomes include AF burden assessed using continuous ambulatory rhythm monitoring, AF symptom severity assessed using validated questionnaires, and cardiac and total body fat mass assessed by cardiac MRI and body composition analysis. Secondary outcomes include cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, cardiac autonomic nervous system function, cardiac remodeling, healthcare utilization, cost-effectiveness, and genetic risk modification of intervention effects.
The study is conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and applicable regulatory requirements. All participants will provide written informed consent before enrollment.
4,009 studies on the registry are indexed under Atrial Fibrillation; 961 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 158 is close to the median of 150 across 2,476 interventional studies indexed under Atrial Fibrillation.
Browse Atrial Fibrillation studies →University of Eastern Finland is the lead sponsor of 54 studies on the registry; 9 are open to participants now.
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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.
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.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
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.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction)
The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
NYHA class (heart failure)
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Participants receive standard clinical care for atrial fibrillation plus a 12-month tailored lifestyle program including individualized aerobic exercise, muscle strength training, and dietary counseling.
Behavioral: Tailored Exercise and Dietary Lifestyle Program
Participants receive standard clinical care for atrial fibrillation without any structured exercise or dietary lifestyle intervention.
Other: Usual Clinical Care
A 12-month tailored lifestyle program combining individualized aerobic exercise, muscle strength training, and dietary counseling. The program includes home-based aerobic training 2-5 times per week, muscle strength training, group-based dietary intervention sessions, and motivational support. The intervention is added to standard clinical care for atrial fibrillation.
Also known as: 12-Month Tailored Exercise and Dietary Lifestyle Intervention
Participants receive standard clinical care for atrial fibrillation according to the guideline-based routine practice at participating hospitals. No structured exercise or dietary lifestyle intervention is provided.
Atrial Fibrillation Burden
Total atrial fibrillation burden measured by continuous rhythm monitoring over the intervention period. Unit of Measure: Percentage of time in atrial fibrillation (%)
Time frame: 12 months
Cardiac Fat Mass
Epicardial and pericardial fat volume measured by cardiac MRI. Unit of Measure: Milliliters (ml).
Time frame: 12 months
AF Symptom Severity
Symptom severity assessed using the Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (AFEQT). Unit of Measure: Score on a 0-100 scale. Interpretation: Higher scores indicate better AF-related quality of life (i.e., fewer or less severe symptoms).
Time frame: 12 months
Body Fat Mass
Total body fat mass assessed using a body composition analyzer. Unit of Measure: Kilograms (kg)
Time frame: 12 months
Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT)
Functional exercise capacity assessed using the Six-Minute Walking Test (6MWT). Unit of Measure: Meters walked in 6 minutes. Interpretation: Higher values indicate better functional capacity.
Time frame: 12 months
AF-Related Quality of Life (AFEQT Overall Score)
AF-related quality of life assessed using the Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (AFEQT). Unit of Measure: Score (0-100). Interpretation: Higher scores indicate a better quality of life.
Time frame: 12 months
Cost-effectiveness analysis
Healthcare costs determined using patients' social security ID numbers to track specialized healthcare visits, imaging examinations, treatment days, AF treatments, and external service usage. Unit of Measure: Euro (€)
Time frame: 36 months
Left Atrial Volume
Left atrial volume measured by echocardiography. Unit of Measure: Milliliters (ml)
Time frame: 12 months
Cardiac autonomic nervous system function
Heart rate variability assessed using a standardized protocol with 2 minutes sitting followed by 3 minutes of standing. Unit of Measure: HRV parameters (ms)
Time frame: 12 months
Peak Oxygen Uptake (VO₂peak)
Cardiorespiratory fitness assessed using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Unit of Measure: VO₂peak (ml/kg/min) Interpretation: Higher values indicate better cardiorespiratory fitness.
Time frame: 12 months
Left Atrial Volume Index
Left atrial volume indexed to body surface area by echocardiography. Unit of Measure: ml/m²
Time frame: 12 months
Left Atrial Strain
Left atrial strain measured by speckle-tracking echocardiography. Unit of Measure: Percentage (%)
Time frame: 12 months
Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction
Left ventricular systolic function assessed by echocardiography. Unit of Measure: Percentage (%)
Time frame: 12 months
E/e' Ratio
Left ventricular diastolic function assessed using transmitral inflow and tissue Doppler imaging. Unit of Measure: Unitless ratio
Time frame: 12 months
Natriuretic Peptides
Natriuretic propeptides, proBNP, Unit: pg/mL
Time frame: 12 months
Dietary assessment
Dietary intake assessed using repeated 4-day food records. Unit of Measure: Nutrient intake per day (g/day, kcal/day).
Time frame: 12 months
Physical Activity Level
Daily physical activity and sedentary time measured by accelerometry. Unit of Measure: Minutes per day (min/day).
Time frame: 12 months
Inflammatory Markers
Inflammatory marker changes (C-reactive protein, CRP) Unit: mg/L
Time frame: 12 months
Cytokines
Serum IL-6 concentration change Unit: pg/mL
Time frame: 12 months
Plan to share: No
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University of Eastern Finland