Endurance TrainingExBatNCT07299604
Effect of Chronic Exercise on Human Thermogenic Adipose Tissue & Elucidation of Mechanisms
A study testing Endurance Training in people with Endurance Training and No Training, run by Technical University of Munich at 1 site in Germany.
Trial summary
Physical exercise can stimulate heat production in our bodies. This is healthy because it burns sugar and fat. Heat production is influenced, among other things, by what is known as 'brown or beige adipose tissue', which is capable of producing heat in our bodies. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 40 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Endurance Training, No Training
- What is being tested?
- Endurance Training
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 24 participants
- Where
- 1 siteGermany
- Study dates
- 1 Jan 2025to 30 Jun 2025
- 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 40 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- BMI 18-25
- male/female
- less than 3 hours/week of regular training
- must be able to perform performance analysis and endurance training by cycling
- must be able to do six weeks of training
Who cannot join
- cardiovascular, pulmonary, neoplastic, orthopaedic, metabolic, or chronic diseases
- problems that preclude performance testing or endurance testing
- pregnancy (only female)
- regular medication
- smoking
- dependency relationship with the TUM Professorship of Exercise Biology
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Germany1 site
University Munich, Professorship of Exercise Biolog
Munich, Bavaria, 80809
About this study
Physical exercise can stimulate heat production in our bodies. This is healthy because it burns sugar and fat. Heat production is influenced, among other things, by what is known as 'brown or beige adipose tissue', which is capable of producing heat in our bodies. However, everyone reacts differently to physical exercise. In addition, different types of exercise can influence heat production. That is why the investigators want to use this study to investigate why different people show different reactions in brown and beige adipose tissue. This is important for our metabolism and our health.
The study will last approximately 6 weeks. The participants are healthy individuals who are participating in the study. The test subjects will be divided into two groups by drawing lots, so that there are equal numbers of men and women in each group.
Read more
One group will complete a 6-week endurance training programme. The other group (control) will not do any additional training and will serve as a control group. However, the accompanying examinations will be the same for both groups. By comparing the two groups, the investigators will be able to see whether training has a better effect on heat production and thus health.
As part of this study, the investigators want to investigate how 6 weeks of endurance training affects the function of brown and beige adipose tissue. To do this, the investigators will take some blood and adipose tissue samples before and after the training period.
Read the detailed description
In order to investigate the regulation of thermogenic adipose tissue by physical exercise and other stimuli without the need for biopsies, the investigators have developed a cell assay that allows to investigate the effect of sera taken before or after physical exertion, e.g. on the expression of the heat-generating UCP1 protein. Experiments using this test have shown that exercise-conditioned serum stimulates UCP1 expression on average compared to resting serum. However, the increase in UCP1 expression in athletes is more than twice as high and there are large inter-individual variations, i.e. non-responders, average responders and 'super responders'. This implies that some subjects secrete serum factors during exercise that can activate thermogenesis in adipose tissue.
It is also known that immune cells have an effect on adipose tissue and may also be involved in crosstalk. Therefore, the aim here is to investigate the reactivity of immune cells using single-cell mRNA sequencing. This analysis may provide further insight into immune responses, including in relation to obesity.
Using this methodology, the investigators now want to investigate how acute physical exercise 6-week training intervention (endurance training) influence the thermogenic adipose tissue, metabolism and energy expenditure of the participants.
The investigators have three specific objectives:
- The investigators will analyse how serum taken before or after training affects the expression of the heat-generating UCP1 protein in human adipocytes in cell culture. The investigators will also measure oxygen consumption/energy expenditure during cold stimulation and correlate these measurements with those obtained in adipocyte cell cultures. Furthermore, the investigators will quantify mRNA expression in isolated immune cells (peripheral mononuclear cells and granulocytes).
- The investigators will use the sera, cells and biopsy samples obtained to analyse the mechanisms of white/beige adipose tissue regulation in cooperation with the project consortium. One focus will be on miRNAs in exosomes, which have been identified as biomarkers for thermogenesis. In addition, the investigators will add thermogenic super-responder sera and non-thermogenic non-responder sera to human adipocytes in cell culture and perform a phosphoproteomics analysis. Based on this analysis, the investigators will then attempt to identify the factors that activate thermogenesis.
- Conditions
- Endurance Training, No Training
- Being tested
- Endurance Training
- Keywords
- brown adipose tissue, activation, endurance training, oxygen consumption
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Endurance TrainingBehavioural
6 weeks of endurance training, 3time per week
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Endurance training | Experimental | The participants fulfill an individualized and supervised training. The 6 weelk training period consits of three training sessions per week. Receives: Behavioral: Endurance Training |
| Control group | No intervention | In parallel to the intervention group the control group only fulfill the inclusion measures and the follow-up measusres without any additional training. They will be advised to keep constant there normal physical activity, which has to be documented in dairy book. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
UCP-1 gene expression in cultured adipocytes treated with conditioned human sera
The investigators collect human serum samples before/after training/control period and before/after cold exposure and exercise testing. Human adipose tissue cells will be treated with the conditioned serum samples of the training and control groups. The primary outcome measure is the change of mRNA expression of UCP-1 in adipose tissue cells by PCR.
Measured: Serum samples will be collected at baseline and after six week of endurance training or six week of control period. Cell culture experiments will start when the last participant completed the study.
Secondary outcomes (6)
Energy expenditure in reaction to cold exposure
The investigators will measure oxygen consumption during a one-hour period of cold exposure.
Measured: Cold exposure will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Physical performance analysis (oxygen consumption in ml/kg body weight)
Before and after the training or control intervention, participants undergo cardio-pulmonary exercise testing to assess their physical performance. The investigators will measure oxygen consumption during an incremental cycling test.
Measured: Physical performance analysis will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Physical performance analysis (heart rate in bpm)
Before and after the training or control intervention, participants undergo cardio-pulmonary exercise testing to assess their physical performance. The investigators will measure heart rate during an incremental cycling test.
Measured: Physical performance analysis will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Physical performance analysis (blood lactate in mmol/L)
Before and after the training or control intervention, participants undergo cardio-pulmonary exercise testing to assess their physical performance. The investigators will measure lactate production after each stage during an incremental cycling test.
Measured: Physical performance analysis will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Physical performance analysis (power output in W)
Before and after the training or control intervention, participants undergo cardio-pulmonary exercise testing to assess their physical performance. The investigators will measure maximal power output on the bicycle ergometer during an incremental step test until voluntary maximal exhaustion.
Measured: Physical performance analysis will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Supraclavicular skin temperature in response to cold exposure
The investigators will measure supraclavicular skin temperature during a one-hour period of cold exposure.
Measured: Cold exposure will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Dec 2025
- Study start1 Jan 2025
- Primary completion30 Jun 2025
- Study completion30 Jun 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Endurance TrainingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Technical University of MunichThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- The investigators will recruit 24 participants, who will be randomised into two arms: 1) 6 weeks of individualised/supervised endurance training; 2) a control group without any additional training.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 24 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Technical University of Munich
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- German Research Foundation, University Hospital, Bonn, Helmholtz Zentrum München
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Alexander Braunsperger, PhD candidate, Study chair, Technical University Munich, Professorship of Exercise Biology, Am Olympacampus 11, 80809 Munich
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07299604
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2025-ExBat
- Other IDs
- TRR333
- Acronym
- ExBat
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 14 Nov 2025
- Last updated
- 23 Dec 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 23 Dec 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of Chronic Exercise on Human Thermogenic Adipose Tissue & Elucidation of Mechanisms
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07299604
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ExBat / 2025-ExBat
- Conditions
- Endurance Training, No Training
- Keywords
- brown adipose tissue, activation, endurance training, oxygen consumption
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 24 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Technical University of MunichUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- German Research Foundation, University Hospital, Bonn, Helmholtz Zentrum München
- Study start
- 1 Jan 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 23 Dec 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Physical exercise can stimulate heat production in our bodies. This is healthy because it burns sugar and fat. Heat production is influenced, among other things, by what is known as 'brown or beige adipose tissue', which is capable of producing heat in our bodies. However, everyone reacts differently to physical exercise. In addition, different types of exercise can influence heat production. That is why the investigators want to use this study to investigate why different people show different reactions in brown and beige adipose tissue. This is important for our metabolism and our health.
The study will last approximately 6 weeks. The participants are healthy individuals who are participating in the study. The test subjects will be divided into two groups by drawing lots, so that there are equal numbers of men and women in each group.
One group will complete a 6-week endurance training programme. The other group (control) will not do any additional training and will serve as a control group. However, the accompanying examinations will be the same for both groups. By comparing the two groups, the investigators will be able to see whether training has a better effect on heat production and thus health.
As part of this study, the investigators want to investigate how 6 weeks of endurance training affects the function of brown and beige adipose tissue. To do this, the investigators will take some blood and adipose tissue samples before and after the training period.
Detailed description
In order to investigate the regulation of thermogenic adipose tissue by physical exercise and other stimuli without the need for biopsies, the investigators have developed a cell assay that allows to investigate the effect of sera taken before or after physical exertion, e.g. on the expression of the heat-generating UCP1 protein. Experiments using this test have shown that exercise-conditioned serum stimulates UCP1 expression on average compared to resting serum. However, the increase in UCP1 expression in athletes is more than twice as high and there are large inter-individual variations, i.e. non-responders, average responders and 'super responders'. This implies that some subjects secrete serum factors during exercise that can activate thermogenesis in adipose tissue.
It is also known that immune cells have an effect on adipose tissue and may also be involved in crosstalk. Therefore, the aim here is to investigate the reactivity of immune cells using single-cell mRNA sequencing. This analysis may provide further insight into immune responses, including in relation to obesity.
Using this methodology, the investigators now want to investigate how acute physical exercise 6-week training intervention (endurance training) influence the thermogenic adipose tissue, metabolism and energy expenditure of the participants.
The investigators have three specific objectives:
- The investigators will analyse how serum taken before or after training affects the expression of the heat-generating UCP1 protein in human adipocytes in cell culture. The investigators will also measure oxygen consumption/energy expenditure during cold stimulation and correlate these measurements with those obtained in adipocyte cell cultures. Furthermore, the investigators will quantify mRNA expression in isolated immune cells (peripheral mononuclear cells and granulocytes).
- The investigators will use the sera, cells and biopsy samples obtained to analyse the mechanisms of white/beige adipose tissue regulation in cooperation with the project consortium. One focus will be on miRNAs in exosomes, which have been identified as biomarkers for thermogenesis. In addition, the investigators will add thermogenic super-responder sera and non-thermogenic non-responder sera to human adipocytes in cell culture and perform a phosphoproteomics analysis. Based on this analysis, the investigators will then attempt to identify the factors that activate thermogenesis.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The investigators will recruit 24 participants, who will be randomised into two arms: 1) 6 weeks of individualised/supervised endurance training; 2) a control group without any additional training.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Endurance training | Experimental | Behavioral: Endurance TrainingThe participants fulfill an individualized and supervised training. The 6 weelk training period consits of three training sessions per week. |
| Control group | No intervention | –In parallel to the intervention group the control group only fulfill the inclusion measures and the follow-up measusres without any additional training. They will be advised to keep constant there normal physical activity, which has to be documented in dairy book. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 40 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- BMI 18-25
- male/female
- less than 3 hours/week of regular training
- must be able to perform performance analysis and endurance training by cycling
- must be able to do six weeks of training
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- cardiovascular, pulmonary, neoplastic, orthopaedic, metabolic, or chronic diseases
- problems that preclude performance testing or endurance testing
- pregnancy (only female)
- regular medication
- smoking
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Endurance Training6 weeks of endurance training, 3time per week | Behavioural | Endurance training |
Primary outcome
UCP-1 gene expression in cultured adipocytes treated with conditioned human sera
Time frame: Serum samples will be collected at baseline and after six week of endurance training or six week of control period. Cell culture experiments will start when the last participant completed the study.
The investigators collect human serum samples before/after training/control period and before/after cold exposure and exercise testing. Human adipose tissue cells will be treated with the conditioned serum samples of the training and control groups. The primary outcome measure is the change of mRNA expression of UCP-1 in adipose tissue cells by PCR.
6 secondary outcomes
Energy expenditure in reaction to cold exposure
Time frame: Cold exposure will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Physical performance analysis (oxygen consumption in ml/kg body weight)
Time frame: Physical performance analysis will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Physical performance analysis (heart rate in bpm)
Time frame: Physical performance analysis will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Physical performance analysis (blood lactate in mmol/L)
Time frame: Physical performance analysis will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Physical performance analysis (power output in W)
Time frame: Physical performance analysis will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Supraclavicular skin temperature in response to cold exposure
Time frame: Cold exposure will be done before and after the training or control period of six weeks.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 23 Dec 2025.
- Project websiteLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Alexander Braunsperger, PhD candidate study chair
Technical University Munich, Professorship of Exercise Biology, Am Olympacampus 11, 80809 Munich
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Endurance Training in people with Endurance Training and No Training, run by Technical University of Munich at 1 site in Germany.
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 5 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 23 Dec 2025. 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 Germany. 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?
UCP-1 gene expression in cultured adipocytes treated with conditioned human sera (time frame: Serum samples will be collected at baseline and after six week of endurance training or six week of control period. Cell culture experiments will start when the last participant completed the study.). 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 23 Dec 2025.