Lifestyle Intervention to Improve Muscle Function in Older Adults

September 1, 2026 updated by: Candida Rebello, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
The goal of this randomized controlled two-arm trial is to determine the effect of a diet and exercise intervention for 12 weeks on body composition, muscle function, and energy balance in 80 adults aged 50 years and over with obesity and insulin resistance. The main questions the trial aims to answer are: Will 12 weeks of a structured nutrition plan + exercise reduce fat mass, improve muscle function, and increase energy deficit compared to the usual diet + exercise. The hypothesis is that 12 weeks of a structured nutrition plan + exercise will reduce fat mass, improve muscle function, and produce greater energy deficit than the usual diet + exercise. Participants will be provided with all meals for 12 weeks and will exercise at the Center under supervision three times each week. Pre and post-intervention, body composition, physical function, and energy deficit will be measured.

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.

Detailed Description

In the United States nearly one third of adults over 60 years of age have sarcopenic obesity which encompasses the combined effect of muscle impairment and obesity. A strategy that addresses the combined effect of muscle impairment and obesity while modulating muscle mass and composition is an unanswered challenge. This 12-week study will evaluate the effects of a structured nutrition plan combined with an exercise program on body fat and muscle mass, lower-extremity function (Short Physical Performance Battery), muscle strength (handgrip and knee strength), and daily caloric intake. The study will enroll adults aged 50 years and older with obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m²) and insulin resistance as indicated by a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) score ≥ 3. Subjects will be randomly allocated to receive the structured nutrition plan and exercise intervention or to their usual diet and exercise in equal numbers (40 per group). The study will enrich our understanding of the physiological adaptations necessary for effective lifestyle interventions to improve muscle function.

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.
80

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Louisiana
      • Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, 70808
        • Recruiting
        • Pennington Biomedical Research Center
        • Contact:
        • Contact:

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:

  1. Age > 50 years.
  2. Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2.
  3. Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance ≥ 3.
  4. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) > 25.
  5. Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15) < 9.
  6. Sedentary (less than 90 minutes/week of moderate to vigorous activity).
  7. Ability to provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Diagnosis of cancer (received within five years) or diabetes (type 1 and 2), or significant musculoskeletal, or cardiovascular, or hepatic, or renal, disease or dysfunction.
  2. Clinically significant gastrointestinal malabsorption syndromes such as chronic diarrhea, celiac disease, or clinically significant abnormal laboratory markers.
  3. Fluctuation in body weight > 3 kg in the preceding two months
  4. Condition that impedes testing of the study hypothesis or makes it unsafe to exercise or consume the study foods.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

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.
Experimental: Structured nutrition plan + exercise
Intervention: Participants receive a structured nutrition plan, and exercise under supervision.
Behavioral: Structured nutrition plan
Participants will receive a structured nutrition plan.
Behavioral: Supervised Exercise
Participants will complete aerobic and resistance training under supervision three times per week.
Active Comparator: Typical or usual diet + exercise
Participants receive a typical or usual diet, and exercise under supervision
Behavioral: Supervised Exercise
Participants will complete aerobic and resistance training under supervision three times per week.
Behavioral: Typical or usual diet
Participants will receive a diet representing the usual diet in this population.

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
Fat mass
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Fat mass measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry
Change from baseline to 12 weeks

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
Skeletal muscle mass
Time Frame: Change in from baseline to 12 weeks
Skeletal muscle mass will be measured by the creatine methyl D-3 dilution method
Change in from baseline to 12 weeks
Short physical performance battery
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 12 weeks
A test of physical function
Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Hand-grip strength
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Hand grip strength will be measured using a hand dynamometer
Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Knee strength
Time Frame: Change from baseline to12 weeks
Knee strength will be measured quantified using Biodex dynamometry
Change from baseline to12 weeks
Energy stores
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Change in energy stores/day (kcal) determined from measures of body composition using the energy balance method
12 weeks
Hormonal regulation of energy balance
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Blood concentrations of glucagon-like peptide 1
Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Hormonal regulation of energy balance
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Blood concentrations of gastric inhibitory peptide
Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Hormonal regulation of energy balance
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Blood concentrations of cortisol
Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Hormonal regulation of energy balance
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Blood concentrations of leptin
Change from baseline to 12 weeks
Cardiorespiratory fitness
Time Frame: Change in VO2max from baseline to 12 weeks
VO2max
Change in VO2max from baseline to 12 weeks

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.
Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Candida J Rebello, PhD, RD, Pennington Biomedical Research Center

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.
July 20, 2026

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.
December 1, 2030

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.
December 1, 2030

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 8, 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 14, 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 20, 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.
September 3, 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.
September 1, 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.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • PBRC-2025-060
  • 1R01AG092725-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

At this time, we do not have plans to share IPD. We may consider it after the study results have been publicly disseminated

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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