Effects of HIIT Following PTR Programme (HIITpostLCD)

April 29, 2026 updated by: University of Nottingham

Can High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Reduce the Risk of Diabetes Relapse Following Discharge From the NHS Path to Remission Programme? - a Pilot Study

Caloric restriction programmes are highly effective and safe interventions for inducing rapid weight loss and improvements in glycaemic control. The landmark DiRECT study showed that 68% of people completing a caloric restriction intervention achieved remission of type 2 diabetes (T2D) by one year. Consequently, the NHS Path to Remission (PTR) programme was developed to stimulate diabetes remission in individuals that meet certain criteria. Unfortunately, long-term follow-up of the DiRECT study suggests that in the majority of participants that achieved remission, diabetes relapses within 5 years. This necessitates a focus on identifying methods to improve long-term maintenance of diabetes remission.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves several brief bursts of intense exercise, interspersed with recovery breaks, and is becoming increasingly popular. HIIT can cause improvements in cardiovascular fitness, reduce blood pressure, and lower body fat content in only a fraction of the time of traditional exercise methods. Specific to T2D, HIIT has been shown to improve pancreatic beta cell function, which is critically important for maintenance of long-term diabetes remission.

This pilot study is being conducted to determine whether participating in a home-based HIIT training programme may help maintain beta cell function in individuals that have achieved diabetes remission following the NHS PTR programme. The study will take place at the Royal Derby Hospital.

The intention is to recruit 20 participants from Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire that have achieved diabetes remission in the NHS PTR programme. Participants will be recruited following discharge from the programme and allocated to either perform a HIIT training programme (intervention group), or continue with usual care (control group) for 16 weeks.

Before starting, participants will attend the research department to have initial measurements taken including bioimpedance, fasting bloods, an intravenous glucose tolerance test, muscle ultrasound, electromyography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Following this, those in the intervention group will be asked to perform a home-based HIIT training programme 3 times per week and record details of each session in a booklet. The control group will be asked to continue with their habitual levels of physical activity. Participants will be contacted regularly to ensure their safety and compliance.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

20

Phase

  • 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 Locations

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults between the age of 18-70 years
  • Ability to provide informed consent
  • Completed the NHS Path to Remission programme and achieved diabetes remission (HbA1c <48mmol/mol (6.5%), and off diabetes medications for at least three months)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • BMI > 40kg/m2
  • Current participation in a formal exercise regime
  • Current pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Uncontrolled hypertension (blood pressure >160/100mmHg)

  • History of cardiovascular disease:

    • Symptomatic angina
    • Heart failure (class III/IV)
    • Significant arrhythmias
    • Right to left cardiac shunt
    • Recent acute coronary syndrome
    • Severe aortic valvular disease
    • Active cardiac infection

  • Background of the following respiratory diseases:

    • Pulmonary hypertension
    • Significant COPD
    • Uncontrolled asthma
  • History of malignancy undergoing current treatment or palliation
  • Presence of significant musculoskeletal, neurological or cerebrovascular disease
  • Any other medical condition deemed by the investigators to preclude inclusion into the study

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: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: HIIT group
This group will perform 16 weeks of high-intensity interval training. This will involve performing a 15-minute routine, three times a week. The exercise programme includes star jumps, standing squats, on-the-spot sprints, then repeating standing squats and star jumps again (this pyramid design has been chosen as it can be used to provide participants with a target of repetitions to achieve in the 4th and 5th interval).
Behavioral: Exercise
High-intensity interval training
No Intervention: Control group
This is the control group and will be asked to perform their usual habitual levels of activity for the 16 weeks of the study.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pancreatic beta cell function
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Assessment of beta-cell function using insulin first phase response from an intravenous glucose tolerance test
Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Insulin sensitivity
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Measured during the intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) and calculated from fasting glucose and insulin using the homeostatic model of assessment for insulin resistance
Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Overall glycaemic control
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
From measurement of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c)
Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Body weight
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Measurement of participant weight
Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Body composition
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Measurement of fat mass and fat-free mass using bioimpedance analysis
Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Skeletal muscle function
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Assessed using muscle strength (1 repetition maximum) testing and electromyography
Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Skeletal muscle structure
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Using muscle ultrasonography to assess muscle thickness, cross sectional area and fibre pennation angle
Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Cardiorespiratory fitness
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)
Determined from be the highest rate of oxygen consumption obtained (VO2max) during a cardiopulmonary exercise test
Assessed at baseline and then follow-up (16 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Nottingham

Collaborators

Association of British Clinical Diabetologists

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Iskandar Idris, University of Nottingham

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 (Estimated)

May 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 24, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 29, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 24057

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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