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Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)EDNCT00771108

Exercise Dose and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

A study testing exercise in people with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), run by Washington University School of Medicine at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding of how exercise (walking) affects non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in overweight people. NAFLD, which is common in obese people, occurs when the liver has too much fat. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
exercise
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
33 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
May 2006to Apr 2011
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age 18-65 with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease as determined by MRS

Who cannot join

  • Medical History
  • Diabetes
  • Heart Disease
  • Asthma/Lung disease
  • Injury that prevents exercise
  • Social history
Show all 23Show fewer
  • Drinking
  • More than one drink per day
  • Binge drinking on the weekends (more than 3 or 4 drinks per weekend day)
  • Smoking
  • It's OK if they were a previous smoker, but they need to have quit more than 6 months ago
  • Exercise
  • They must exercise less than one hour per week
  • Medications: must be on stable regimen of ANY medication for at least 3 months
  • Beta-Blockers
  • Lipid/cholesterol lowering medications:
  • Oral hypoglycemics (anti-diabetes medications - some like metformin are indicated for pre-diabetes)
  • Hormone replacement therapy
  • If the woman is pre-menopausal, it is OK if she is on birth control as long as she has been on it over 3 months
  • Weight history
  • Weight <300 lbs
  • BMI 30 to 45
  • Weight stable - <10lbs weight loss or gain in the last 3 months

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Washington University School of Medicine

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110

Other trials in United States

About this study

The purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding of how exercise (walking) affects non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in overweight people. NAFLD, which is common in obese people, occurs when the liver has too much fat.

Read the detailed description

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects about 33% of adults in the United States. The prevalence of NAFLD is four to five times higher in obese than lean persons and is associated with insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. Decreasing calorie intake and increasing physical activity has been recommended as primary therapy for NAFLD, but the independent effect of aerobic exercise is unknown. The current exercise guidelines for disease prevention and weight management range from 150 min/wk, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and the American College of Sports Medicine, to 300 min/wk, recommended by the Institute of Medicine. However, it is not known whether aerobic exercise alone can improve NAFLD, and which recommended dose of exercise might have the most beneficial effects. The purpose of this proposal is to determine the effect of moderate intensity endurance exercise on: 1) hepatic fat content; 2) hepatic lipoprotein kinetics; and 3) plasma inflammatory markers. We hypothesize that aerobic exercise will decrease hepatic fat content, improve VLDL kinetics, and decrease inflammation in a dose-dependent fashion. The results from this study will help determine exercise guidelines for obese patients with NAFLD, and lay the groundwork for future studies evaluating the effects of exercise on metabolic diseases associated with obesity.

This proposal involves conducting a randomized controlled trial that will randomize obese subjects with NAFLD (> 10% hepatic fat content) to one of two groups: Group 1 (Control, no exercise) and Group 2 (Moderate Intensity Aerobic Exercise- 150 min/wk to 300 min/wk of supervised exercise performed at 45-55% of O2 max).

Being tested
exercise
Keywords
NAFLD, Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Medical subject headings
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • exerciseBehavioural

    Also called walking

    For 16 weeks subjects will exercise from 30-60 minutes five times a week.

Study groups in NCT00771108
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
controlNo interventionSubjects will serve as controls, continuing current diet and activity levels. Subjects will get monthly weights by the investigator at the research center.
ExerciseExperimentalFor 16 weeks subjects will exercise from 30-60 minutes five times a week.
Receives: Behavioral: exercise

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. The effect of aerobic exercise on: Intrahepatic fat content

    Measured: 3 years

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. VLDL-triglyceride (TG) and VLDL-Apolipoprotein B (apoB) kinetics

    Measured: 3 years

  2. Insulin action in liver (suppression of glucose production), muscle (stimulation of glucose uptake), and adipose tissue (suppression of lipolysis).

    Measured: 3 years

  3. Plasma markers of inflammation

    Measured: 3 years

  4. Potential cellular mechanisms responsible for changes in insulin action and inflammation

    Measured: 3 years

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted13 Oct 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startMay 2006
  3. Primary completionApr 2011
  4. Study completionApr 2011

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
33 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00771108
Sponsor's protocol ID
06-0039
Other IDs
#5P30 DK052574 (NIH/DDRCC), R01 DK37948 (NIH/NIDDK), R01DK037948, 5P30DK052574
Acronym
ED
Status last verified
Sep 2011
First submitted
9 Oct 2008
Last updated
7 Sep 2011
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Sullivan S, Kirk EP, Mittendorfer B, Patterson BW, Klein S. Randomized trial of exercise effect on intrahepatic triglyceride content and lipid kinetics in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatology. 2012 Jun;55(6):1738-45. doi: 10.1002/hep.25548. Epub 2012 Apr 25.

    PubMed 22213436

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing exercise in people with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), run by Washington University School of Medicine at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 23 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Sep 2011. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

The effect of aerobic exercise on: Intrahepatic fat content (time frame: 3 years). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00771108, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 7 Sep 2011; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.

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