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Other Gastrointestinal DisordersNCT05217589

The Influence of Different Mood States and Emotions on the Physiologic, Metabolic, and Perceptual Responses to Feeding Before Exercise

A study testing Funny/Amusing Video Clips, Horror/Scary Video Clips and Thrilling/Suspenseful Video Clips in people with Other Gastrointestinal Disorders and Cramp, Abdominal, run by Old Dominion University 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

Many athletes anecdotally report modifying their nutritional intake before competition in order to avoid gut problems, but no studies have evaluated whether emotional state impacts tolerance to pre-exercise feeding. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 55 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Funny/Amusing Video Clips, Horror/Scary Video Clips and Thrilling/Suspenseful Video Clips
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
28 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
1 Apr 2022to 2 Apr 2026
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 55 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Aged 18 to 55 years
  • Able to run for 30 min at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity without stopping
  • No diagnosis or signs/symptoms of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or metabolic disorders
  • Currently physically active (at least 3 days/week of exercise at a moderate or higher intensity)
  • No visual or hearing impairments interfering with ability to see and hear video clips
  • No allergies to ingredients in Boost drink

Who cannot join

  • Aged <18 or >55 years
  • Unable to run for 30 min at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity without stopping
  • A diagnosis or signs/symptoms of CVD or metabolic disorders
  • Currently physically inactive (< 3 days/week of exercise at a moderate or higher intensity)
  • Visual or hearing impairments interfering with ability to see and hear video clips
  • Allergies to ingredients in Boost drink

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Human Performance Laboratory

    Norfolk, Virginia, 23529

Other trials in United States

About this study

Many athletes anecdotally report modifying their nutritional intake before competition in order to avoid gut problems, but no studies have evaluated whether emotional state impacts tolerance to pre-exercise feeding. Therefore, this study will use movie clips (stressful, horror, and funny/amusing) to induce different mood states and emotions, which will be followed by ingestion of food before endurance running on a treadmill. In addition, metabolic and physiologic responses to mood induction will be evaluated.

Being tested
Funny/Amusing Video Clips, Horror/Scary Video Clips, Thrilling/Suspenseful Video Clips
Medical subject headings
Colic

What participants receive

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

  • Funny/Amusing Video ClipsOther

    Participants watch 5-7 minutes of video clips that are funny/amusing in nature

  • Horror/Scary Video ClipsOther

    Participants watch 5-7 minutes of video clips that are scary in nature

  • Thrilling/Suspenseful Video ClipsOther

    Participants watch 5-7 minutes of video clips that are thrilling/suspenseful in nature

Study groups in NCT05217589
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Funny/Amusing Video ClipsExperimentalParticipants will watch 5-7-min video clips that are meant to be funny/amusing
Receives: Other: Funny/Amusing Video Clips
Horror/Scary Video ClipsExperimentalParticipants will watch 5-7-min video clips that are meant to be scary
Receives: Other: Horror/Scary Video Clips
Thrilling/Suspenseful Video ClipsExperimentalParticipants will watch 5-7-min video clips that are meant to be thrilling/suspenseful
Receives: Other: Thrilling/Suspenseful Video Clips

What is being measured

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

  1. Total exercise gastrointestinal symptom burden

    The severity of several gastrointestinal symptoms will be assessed on a validated 0-10 scale. Ratings will be collected every 5 minutes during a 30-minute treadmill jogging/running test. Scores from every 5-minute collection will be summed to calculate total GI symptom scores.

    Measured: Total GI symptom burden over a 30-minute jogging/running protocol.

  2. Change in emotion ratings

    Anxiety, fear, happiness, amusement, disgust, sadness, and anger on a 0-9 Likert scale. Emotions will be assessed before watching video clips and immediately after watching video clips.

    Measured: Change in emotion ratings between immediately pre-video and immediately post-video.

Secondary outcomes (5)
  1. Change over time in exercise heart rate

    Heart rate will be measured with a chest-strap (Polar) monitor.

    Measured: Heart rate will be measured throughout a 30-minute treadmill jogging/running test. Change over time will be evaluated using mixed ANOVA.

  2. Substrate use

    Carbohydrate and fat oxidation rates will be estimated from the volumes of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production during exercise

    Measured: Carbohydrate and fat oxidation rates will be measured during the last 5 min of a 30-minute treadmill jogging/running test.

  3. Feeling Scale

    The Feeling Scale is a bipolar numerical rating scale ranging from -5 to +5, with descriptors of "very bad" at -5, "neutral" at 0, and "very good" at +5.

    Measured: Ratings on the Feeling Scale will be measured at rest before watching video clips and throughout (every 5 min) a subsequent 30-minute treadmill jogging/running test.

  4. Fatigue Scale

    The Fatigue Scale is Likert-type scale that ranges from 0 (Not Fatigued at All) to 10 (Total Fatigue).

    Measured: Ratings on the Fatigue Scale will be measured at rest before watching video clips and throughout (every 5 min) a subsequent 30-minute treadmill jogging/running test.

  5. Heart rate post-video

    Heart rate will be measured with a chest-strap (Polar) monitor.

    Measured: Heart rate will be recorded immediately after videos are viewed.

Timeline

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

  1. First posted1 Feb 2022
  2. Study start1 Apr 2022
  3. Primary completion2 Apr 2026
  4. Study completion2 Apr 2026

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
28 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05217589
Sponsor's protocol ID
21-180
Status last verified
Oct 2026
First submitted
21 Dec 2021
Last updated
16 Oct 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Funny/Amusing Video Clips, Horror/Scary Video Clips and Thrilling/Suspenseful Video Clips in people with Other Gastrointestinal Disorders and Cramp, Abdominal, run by Old Dominion University 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 6 inclusion and 6 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 16 Oct 2026. 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?

Total exercise gastrointestinal symptom burden (time frame: Total GI symptom burden over a 30-minute jogging/running protocol.). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 16 Oct 2026.

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