Developing a Physiological Understanding of High Duration Activity

Status unconfirmed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Sedentary Lifestyle, Hyperinsulinemia, Glucose Tolerance Impaired, Low-density-lipoprotein-type, Aging Problems, Lipid Metabolism Disorders, Inactivity, Physical, Metabolic Disorder, Glucose

In brief

When muscles are not contracting, the local energy demand by muscle and use of specific fuels used to produce energy by oxidative metabolism are minimal. The time people spend sitting inactive (sedentary time) typically comprises more than half of the day. This sedentary behavior is associated with elevated risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, and multiple conditions leading to poor aging. From a progressive series of experiments, the driving goal is to develop a physiological method for sustaining contractile activity via oxidative metabolism over more time than is possible by traditional exercise (hours, not minutes per day). Developing a physiological method suitable of prolonged muscular activity for ordinary people (who are often unfit) requires gaining fundamental insights about muscle biology and biomechanics. This also entails a careful appreciation of the ability to isolate specific muscles in the leg during controlled movements, such as the soleus muscle during isolated plantarflexion. This includes quantifying specific biological processes that are directly responsive to elevated skeletal muscle recruitment. The investigators will focus on movement that is safe and practical for ordinary people to do given their high amount of daily sitting time. This includes developing methods to optimally raise muscle contractile activity, in a way that is not limited by fatigue, and is feasible throughout as many minutes of the day as possible safely. This also requires development of methodologies to quantify specific muscular activity, rather than generalized body movement. There is a need to learn how much people can increase muscle metabolism by physical activity that is perceived to them as being light effort. It is important to learn if this impacts systemic metabolic processes under experimental conditions over a short term time span in order to avoid confounding influences of changes in body weight or other factors.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT05135234

Run by

University of Houston

People needed

60

Starts

2016-08-01

Expected to finish

2025-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2023-05-19

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age must be 18 years or older
• Able to fast overnight
• Can maintain diet, medications, and sleep habits between each of the testing visits.
• Lifestyle is consistent with participation in a study evaluating reductions of inactivity (defined by sitting at a low metabolic rate because of minimal muscular activity)
• Willing and able to wear small wearable activity monitors under their clothes as instructed.
• No plans to start a new diet or exercise program if enrolled in the present study.

You may not qualify if…

• Practical barriers to completing the study, such as plans to move, or work, or family commitments.
• Plans to change lifestyle during the present study.
• Have physical, vocational, or reasons that prohibit ordinary sitting behaviors present in the modern world.
• Currently dieting to change body weight, or have eating disorder.
• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
• Taking medications that affect bleeding (ie anticoagulants).
• Allergy to lidocaine excludes biopsy component of study.

Where it is running

• University of Houston — Houston, Texas, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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