Acute Endocrine Responses to Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise in Sedentary Women: A Comparative Analysis of Thyroid Hormones and Cortisol (AERAE)

September 11, 2026 updated by: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özgür EKEN
This study aims to compare acute thyroid hormone and cortisol responses to aerobic and anaerobic exercise in sedentary women. Thirty sedentary women aged 18-25 years will voluntarily participate in the study. Participants will complete a 20-meter shuttle run test as the aerobic exercise protocol and a 30-second Wingate test as the anaerobic exercise protocol in separate testing sessions. Blood samples will be collected immediately before and after each exercise protocol. Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and cortisol concentrations will be determined using chemiluminescence-based laboratory methods. Changes in hormone concentrations will be compared between the aerobic and anaerobic exercise conditions.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

This interventional study is designed to compare the acute endocrine responses elicited by aerobic and anaerobic exercise in sedentary women. A total of 30 healthy sedentary women aged 18-25 years will voluntarily participate. Individuals who have engaged in regular exercise or sports training, experienced a serious upper- or lower-extremity injury during the previous six months, or had a neurological, auditory, visual, or vestibular disorder during the previous year will not be included. Before participation, all individuals will be informed about the study procedures, provide written informed consent, and undergo medical screening.

Each participant will complete aerobic and anaerobic exercise protocols in separate testing sessions. The aerobic exercise protocol will consist of a progressive 20-meter shuttle run test. Participants will run continuously between two lines positioned 20 meters apart, following prerecorded audio signals. Running speed will progressively increase as the interval between signals decreases. The test will end when a participant fails to reach the designated line before the signal on two consecutive occasions.

The anaerobic exercise protocol will consist of a 30-second Wingate test performed on a Monark cycle ergometer connected to computerized analysis software. Following an unloaded acceleration period of approximately 3-4 seconds, an external resistance equivalent to 65 g/kg of body mass will be applied. Participants will be instructed to pedal against this resistance at maximal effort for 30 seconds.

Four venous blood samples will be collected from each participant: immediately before and after the aerobic exercise protocol and immediately before and after the anaerobic exercise protocol. Each sample will consist of approximately 8 mL of blood collected from an antecubital vein by qualified healthcare professionals under medical supervision. The samples will be centrifuged at 3,500 revolutions per minute to separate serum and plasma. Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and cortisol concentrations will be measured using chemiluminescence-based laboratory methods.

Exercise testing will be conducted at the Hasan Doğan School of Physical Education and Sports Laboratory at Karabuk University. Laboratory analyses will be performed at the Public Health Laboratory of the Karabuk Provincial Health Directorate. Pre-to-post-exercise changes in hormone concentrations will be evaluated within each exercise condition and compared between the aerobic and anaerobic exercise protocols.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

30

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

    • Karabük Province
      • Karabük, Karabük Province, Turkey (Türkiye), 78050
        • Recruiting
        • Karabuk University, Hasan Dogan Faculty of Sport Sciences
        • 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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female participants aged 18-25 years
  • Studying at the Faculty of Sports Sciences of Yalova University
  • Not actively participating in regular exercise or sports training
  • Voluntarily agreeing to participate in the study
  • Providing written informed consent
  • Being medically eligible to perform the exercise protocols following preparticipation medical screening

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having a neurological disorder during the previous year
  • Having an auditory, visual, or vestibular disorder during the previous year
  • Having experienced a serious upper- or lower-extremity injury during the previous six months
  • Having any medical condition identified during screening that could prevent safe participation in maximal exercise testing
  • Being unable or unwilling to complete either exercise protocol or blood-sampling procedures

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise
Participants will complete both a progressive 20-meter shuttle run test and a 30-second Wingate anaerobic test in separate testing sessions. Venous blood samples will be collected immediately before and after each exercise protocol to assess acute changes in serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and cortisol concentrations. Each participant will serve as her own control.
Participants will perform a progressive 20-meter shuttle run test by running continuously between two lines positioned 20 meters apart in time with prerecorded audio signals. The initial running speed will progressively increase as the interval between audio signals decreases. The test will end when the participant fails to reach the designated line before the signal on two consecutive occasions.
Participants will perform a 30-second Wingate anaerobic test on a Monark cycle ergometer connected to computerized analysis software. Following an unloaded acceleration phase of approximately 3-4 seconds, a resistance corresponding to 65 g/kg of body mass will be applied. Participants will be instructed to pedal against this resistance at maximal effort for 30 seconds. Peak power, mean power, minimum power, and fatigue index will be recorded.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in Serum Cortisol Concentration
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after each exercise protocol
Immediately before and immediately after each exercise protocol

Collaborators and Investigators

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

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)

September 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 11, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 11, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • KBU-THYROID-2026-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared because no data-sharing plan was included in the approved study protocol or informed consent process.

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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