Dietary Intervention and Physical Activity in Patients With Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction

May 13, 2026 updated by: Andrzej Tomasik MD PhD FESC, Medical University of Silesia

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is frequently associated with abnormalities in body composition, including reduced skeletal muscle mass and sarcopenia, which are independent predictors of reduced exercise tolerance, impaired quality of life, and increased mortality. Despite advances in pharmacological therapy, evidence-based non-pharmacological strategies aimed at preventing muscle mass loss remain limited.

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effects of dietary intervention based on the DASH diet with high-protein elements, resistance exercise training, and their combination on skeletal muscle mass, functional capacity, echocardiographic parameters, biochemical markers, and quality of life in patients with HFrEF.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
100

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Poland
    • Silesian Voivodeship
      • Zabrze, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, 41-800
        • Recruiting
        • 2nd Department and Clinical Ward of Cardiology Specialist Hospital in Zabrze, Poland
        • Contact:
          • Andrzej Tomasik PhD Andrzej Tomasik
          • Phone Number: +48 32 271 10 10
          • Email: atomasik@sum.edu.pl

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Written informed consent obtained prior to participation Age >30 years Diagnosis of chronic heart failure, NYHA functional class I-III Left ventricular ejection fraction <40%

Exclusion Criteria:

NYHA functional class IV heart failure Potentially reversible cause of heart failure Estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 mL/min Severe anemia (hemoglobin <9 g/dL) Uncontrolled thyroid disease Severe hepatic dysfunction History of hyperkalemia or hyperkalemia at baseline Epilepsy Presence of joint endoprostheses Gastrointestinal disorders limiting adherence to the DASH diet Physical limitations precluding participation in structured exercis

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Standard medical care
Experimental: Resistance Exercise Training
Elastic resistance bands and structured exercise education provided by a medical rehabilitation specialist.
Behavioral: Resistance Exercise
The exercise intervention includes resistance training using elastic bands, with instruction and follow-up provided by a medical rehabilitation specialist.
Experimental: Dietary Intervention
Individualized 14-day meal plan based on the DASH diet with high-protein components.
Behavioral: Dietary Intervention
Individualized 14-day meal plan based on the DASH diet with high-protein components.
Experimental: Combined Dietary and Exercise Intervention
Combination of dietary counseling and resistance exercise training as described above.
Behavioral: Resistance Exercise
The exercise intervention includes resistance training using elastic bands, with instruction and follow-up provided by a medical rehabilitation specialist.
Behavioral: Dietary Intervention
Individualized 14-day meal plan based on the DASH diet with high-protein components.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in skeletal muscle mass
Time Frame: Baseline to 6 months
Quantitative assessment of skeletal muscle mass change over the study period.
Baseline to 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in quality of life
Time Frame: Baseline to 6 months
Assessed using the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire.
Baseline to 6 months
Change in exercise capacity
Time Frame: Baseline to 6 months
Assessed by the 6-minute walk test.
Baseline to 6 months
Change in echocardiographic parameters of diastolic function
Time Frame: Baseline to 6 months
Changes in left ventricular diastolic function assessed by transthoracic echocardiography, including early transmitral inflow velocity (E), the ratio of early to late transmitral inflow velocities (E/A), and early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e').
Baseline to 6 months
Change in laboratory biomarkers
Time Frame: Baseline to 6 months
Includes NT-proBNP, HbA1c, K+ creatine, triglycerides, cholesterol,
Baseline to 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Medical University of Silesia

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 8, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 19, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 13, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • BNW/NWN/0052/KB1/29/I/23/25

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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