An observational study in Insulin Resistance, Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, sponsored by University Ghent. Recruiting at 1 site in Belgium. Open to participants aged 20 Years to 30 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-01.
Sponsored by University Ghent · Observational
Among 22 studies in Insulin Resistance with a site in Belgium — 3 open to participants now, 4 under way, none of them phase 3. Insulin Resistance · Belgium.
Among the 22 studies in Insulin Resistance with a site in Belgium, this one is the only one that started in 2025, is one of 8 observational ones, and was the 22nd registered.
2,969 studies on the registry are indexed under Insulin Resistance; 338 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 250 is above the median of 82 across 478 observational studies indexed under Insulin Resistance.
Browse Insulin Resistance studies →3 of the 22 studies in Insulin Resistance with a site in Belgium are open now, in 12 countries. Each count lists the studies.
Of the 244 Insulin Resistance studies recruiting now, 54 (22%) set no upper age limit and 158 (65%) stop at 75 or younger; 30 take children under 18; 113 take healthy volunteers.
This study: 20 Years to 30 Years · all sexes.
The full table on the hub →22 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.
First in 2002; this study’s year is marked. 1 started in 2025.
Median enrollment 47 across the 14 interventional studies, 163 across the 8 observational. Of the 15 that completed or were terminated, 2 (13%) have results posted.
1 of 22 have an industry lead sponsor. The 10 most frequent:
University Ghent is the lead sponsor of 350 studies on the registry; 86 are open to participants now.
University Ghent has 2 studies filed under Insulin Resistance — fewer than ten, so there is no comparison to draw.
None of the studies under way reaches primary completion within a year.
Among the 22 studies in Insulin Resistance with a site in Belgium, from their registry updates:
Nothing recorded among them since 2026-09-25.
Insulin resistance is an early etiological factor in the development of type-2 diabetes (T2D), which constitutes a large societal health burden with an expected additional rise in the years to come.
Skeletal muscle is the body's largest lean tissue mass and the major site of glucose disposal in response to insulin stimulation. Prior studies have suggested that a fast skeletal muscle phenotype, including a predominant fast muscle fiber composition, reduced capillary density, low fat oxidation and muscle oxidative capacity may be implicated in insulin resistance and TD2 development. However, key questions pertain in relation to the cause and effect of these relationships as well as the interaction with potential confounders and effect-modifiers including life-style factors (e.g. diet and physical activity levels) and general participant characteristics (e.g. body composition and training status).
In the present project, we therefore aim to derive muscle fiber type and extensively map the proteomic signature of the early stages of insulin resistance in a large cross-sectional study using a young and apparently healthy cohort prior to T2D development, including a thorough participant characterization. We will recruit \~250 participants (men and women) in the age of 20-30 years and conduct extensive phenotyping and tissue sampling across one laboratory-based test day and a scan visit, as well as measurements of physical activity level and glucose handling in free-living conditions with wearable sensors.
The study has a longitudinal aspect as participants will be re-invited at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years to delineate the trajectory of metabolic health in relation to muscle phenotype measures.
The results of the project are expected to lead to significant advancements in our understanding of the importance of muscle phenotype for early-stage insulin resistance and metabolic health trajectories. Such understanding has potentially important clinical implications, as it can open new avenues for targeted interventions and individualized early preventive strategies to counter or delay the progression of insulin resistance and associated metabolic and cardiovascular disorders.
The project is composed of 1) a screening visit to determine study eligibility, 2) a main test day in the lab, 3) 10 days of physical activity tracking and continuous glucose monitoring in free-living conditions and 4) a scan visit including a whole-body MRI scan and lower leg pQCT scan.
For the main lab visit the participants will arrive in the morning after an overnight fast. This visit includes measurements of anthropometrics, resting metabolic rate, resting heart rate + heart rate variability, arterial stiffness, intima media thickness, as well as blood pressure obtained in the supine position. In addition, a fasting blood sample will be obtained followed by a 2-h glucose tolerance test with concomitant questionnaires provided in writing on basic demographics, physical activity level, sleep, stress and mental health. Two thigh muscle biopsies and a subcutaneous adipose tissue fat sample from the abdominal region will be obtained, while maximal voluntary knee-extensor contraction torque and rate of force development will be measured. Lastly, cycling-based assessments of maximal fat oxidation rate, peak power and maximal oxygen uptake will be assessed using indirect calorimetry including capillary lactate samples.
The scan visit will consist of an MRI whole-body scan, soleus and gastrocnemius 1H-MRS and a pQCT bone scan of the lower limb at 4% and 66% of the total bone length.
The objective measurements of physical activity levels and glucose-handling capacity will be performed for 10 days in free-living conditions using feasibly worn sensors (continuous glucose monitor and thigh-worn accelerometer). During this time, a food dairy needs to be filled in during two week days and one weekend day to estimate the habitual food intake.
A standardized evening meal will be provided prior to the laboratory-based test day and a standardized lunch meal served during the testing day.
Participants will be recruited from the greater Ghent area (Belgium) using recruitment materials including posters mounted on relevant locations (e.g. educational sites) and circulated on social media (e.g. Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter). The Gent University volunteer register of people who have expressed interest in participating in research studies will also be used.
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.
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.
Whole-body insulin sensitivity
The Matsuda index derived from an oral glucose tolerance test
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Skeletal muscle fiber type
Skeletal muscle fiber type assessed using SDS page
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Molecular skeletal muscle profile
Molecular profiling of skeletal muscle tissue, including proteomic and related pathway-level analyses relevant to metabolic function.
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
MRI-derived muscle and fat volumes
Whole-body MRI-derived muscle and fat volumes at the total and regional body level
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
MRI derived tissue fat infiltration
Whole-body MRI-derived tissue fat infiltration in the liver, intermuscular and intramuscular area
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Physical activity level
Accelerometer-based physical activity levels
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
HOMA-IR
Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance based on fasted blood sampling
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Cardiorespiratory fitness
Maximal oxygen uptake assessed using indirect calorimetry during incremental cycling
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Muscle strength
Maximal voluntary isometric contraction torque assessed in a dynamometer
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Free-living glycaemic control
Continuous glucose monitoring-derived glycaemic metrics during free-living conditions
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Dietary intake
Dietary intake assessed using repeated 24-hour food diaries and food frequency questionnaires, including estimates of energy intake and macronutrient composition.
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Subcutaneous adipose tissue phenotyping
Proteomics derived measures of adipose tissue phenotype
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Maximal fat oxidation rate
Maximal fat oxidation rate obtained using indirect calorimetry during incremental cycling
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Pulsewave velocity
Carotid-femoral pulsewave velocity measured using Doppler echocardiography with ECG gating
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-years intervals for up to 20 years
Resting heart rate
Resting heart rate assessed using a chest-worn heart rate monitor
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Heart rate variability
Heart rate variability assessed using a chest-worn heart rate monitor
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Blood pressure
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure obtained using a sphygmomanometer
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
10 s sprint peak and average power
Peak and average power output during a 10 s sprint test
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Lactate accumulation
Lactate accumulation during a 10 s cycling sprint test
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Blood lipid profile
Including measures of triglycerides, free fatty acids, lipoprotein (a), cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Bone measurements
Bone density assessed using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT).
Time frame: At baseline and at 5-year intervals for up to 20 years
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started May 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2046, 259 months after the start.
Of 130 non-industry observational studies under Insulin Resistance, half reached primary completion within 53 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 18 and three quarters within 142. This study's planned 259 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 133 studies reached it within 53 months; a quarter within 18 and three quarters within 143.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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