Polygonatum Odoratum Extract Combined With Aerobic Exercise Improves Body Composition, Insulin Resistance, Inflammation and Gut Microbiota-SCFA Profiles in Men With Central Obesity

November 7, 2026 updated by: Beijing Sport University

Polygonatum Odoratum Extract Combined With Aerobic Exercise Improves Body Composition, Insulin Resistance, Inflammation and Gut Microbiota-SCFA Profiles in Men With Central Obesity: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

This is a randomized controlled trial to investigate whether a combination of Polygonatum odoratum extract and aerobic exercise can improve body composition, insulin resistance, and inflammation in men with central obesity. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group (90 days of supervised aerobic exercise combined with daily Polygonatum odoratum extract supplementation) or a control group (usual lifestyle advice). The investigators will measure changes in body fat percentage, muscle mass, blood glucose, insulin levels, inflammatory markers, gut microbiota, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) before and after the 90-day intervention. The goal is to evaluate whether combining Polygonatum odoratum supplementation with aerobic exercise can improve metabolic health in men with central obesity. Possible benefits include improved body composition and insulin sensitivity, as well as favorable changes in gut microbiota and SCFA profiles. Potential risks may include mild muscle soreness associated with exercise and gastrointestinal discomfort related to the supplement.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

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

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

40 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Chinese males aged 40 to 65 years.
  • Central obesity, defined as a waist circumference (WC) > 90 cm and a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25.0 kg/m².
  • A daily eating window of ≥ 14 hours.
  • Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) ≤ 150 minutes per week.
  • Sedentary time ≥ 8 hours per day.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Confirmed diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or diabetes mellitus.
  • A history of alcohol consumption or tobacco use.
  • Diagnosis of conditions (e.g., arthritis) or presence of injuries that impair gait and limit exercise capacity.
  • Participation in other clinical trials within 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
  • Use of treatments or medications that may affect appetite or metabolism.

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control Group (CON)
Experimental: Aerobic Exercise Training Group (ET)
Behavioral: Supervised Aerobic Exercise

Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise 3 times per week, 40 minutes per session, for 90 days, supervised by trained exercise professionals.
Experimental: Polygonatum odoratum（PO）
Dietary supplement: Polygonatum odoratum Extract

Daily oral supplementation with standardized Cistanche deserticola extract for 90 days, administered as a capsule or powder.
Experimental: Combined Intervention Group (POET)
Dietary supplement: Polygonatum odoratum Extract

Daily oral supplementation with standardized Cistanche deserticola extract for 90 days, administered as a capsule or powder.

Behavioral: Supervised Aerobic Exercise

Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise 3 times per week, 40 minutes per session, for 90 days, supervised by trained exercise professionals.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Waist Circumference
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Lufkin W606PM Metallic Tape；Measurement Method：Measured in accordance with the guidelines of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK). The measurement site is the midpoint between the iliac crest and the lower costal margin. The subject stands with relaxed abdomen and feet together, and the measurement is repeated at least 3 times to take the average value；Measurement Unit：Centimeter (cm)
Baseline to 90 days
Height
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Seca Leicester Stadiometer；Measurement Method：Measured in a standard standing position, barefoot, with the back against the stadiometer and the head kept level；Measurement Unit：Centimeter (cm)
Baseline to 90 days
Body Weight
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Tanita MC-780 MA Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Instrument；Measurement Method：Measured after fasting, with light clothing and empty bladder, the measurement is repeated at least 3 times to take the average value；Measurement Unit：Kilogram (kg)
Baseline to 90 days
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Seca Leicester Stadiometer + Tanita MC-780 MA Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Instrument；Measurement Method：Calculated by the formula: BMI = Body Weight (kg) / Height² (m²)；Measurement Unit：Kilogram per square meter (kg/m²)
Baseline to 90 days
Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Omron M7 Intelli IT Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor；Measurement Method：Measured in a standard sitting position after the subject rests for 15 minutes, the measurement is repeated 3 times to take the average value；Measurement Unit：Millimeter of mercury (mmHg)
Baseline to 90 days
Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Omron M7 Intelli IT Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor；Measurement Method：Measured in a standard sitting position after the subject rests for 15 minutes, the measurement is repeated 3 times to take the average value；Measurement Unit：Millimeter of mercury (mmHg)
Baseline to 90 days
Body Fat Percentage
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Tanita MC-780 MA Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Instrument；Measurement Method：Measured after more than 10 hours of fasting and avoiding exercise, alcohol and caffeine for more than 4 hours. The skin electrodes are cleaned before measurement, and the measurement is repeated 3 times to take the average value；Measurement Unit：Percentage (%)
Baseline to 90 days
Muscle Mass Percentage
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Tanita MC-780 MA Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Instrument；Measurement Method：Measured after more than 10 hours of fasting and avoiding exercise, alcohol and caffeine for more than 4 hours. The skin electrodes are cleaned before measurement, and the measurement is repeated 3 times to take the average value；Measurement Unit：Percentage (%)
Baseline to 90 days
Maximal Oxygen Consumption (VO₂max)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Treadmill + Physio-Dyne Instrument Corp. MAX II Metabolic System + Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor；Measurement Method：The modified Bruce protocol is adopted, the treadmill is subjected to incremental load exercise until exhaustion, and respiratory gas exchange variables and heart rate are recorded in real time；Measurement Unit：Milliliter per kilogram per minute (mL/kg/min)
Baseline to 90 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Fasting Blood Glucose
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Bayer AG Contour Plus Blood Glucose Meter；Measurement Method：Venous blood is collected after the subject fasts for 10 hours and detected immediately；Measurement Unit：Millimole per liter (mmol/L)
Baseline to 90 days
Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Roche cobas® b 101 Analyzer；Measurement Method：Venous blood is collected on an empty stomach, and serum is separated for instrument detection；Measurement Unit：Percentage (%)
Baseline to 90 days
Fasting Insulin
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Mercodia Uppsala Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Kit；Measurement Method：Venous blood is collected on an empty stomach, plasma is separated and detected by double replicate ELISA；Measurement Unit：Milliunit per liter (mU/L)
Baseline to 90 days
Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Bayer AG Contour Plus Blood Glucose Meter + Mercodia Uppsala Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Kit；Measurement Method：Calculated by the formula: HOMA-IR = (Fasting Blood Glucose × Fasting Insulin) / 22.5；Measurement Unit：No unit
Baseline to 90 days
Homeostatic Model Assessment for Beta Cell Function (HOMA-β)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Bayer AG Contour Plus Blood Glucose Meter + Mercodia Uppsala Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Kit；Measurement Method：Calculated by the formula: HOMA-β = (20 × Fasting Insulin) / (Fasting Blood Glucose - 3.5)；Measurement Unit：No unit
Baseline to 90 days
Total Cholesterol (TC)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Roche cobas® c 111 Analyzer；Measurement Method：Venous blood is collected on an empty stomach, and serum is separated for instrument detection；Measurement Unit：Millimole per liter (mmol/L)
Baseline to 90 days
Triglycerides (TG)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Roche cobas® c 111 Analyzer；Measurement Method：Venous blood is collected on an empty stomach, and serum is separated for instrument detection；Measurement Unit：Millimole per liter (mmol/L)
Baseline to 90 days
High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Roche cobas® c 111 Analyzer；Measurement Method：Venous blood is collected on an empty stomach, and serum is separated for instrument detection；Measurement Unit：Millimole per liter (mmol/L)
Baseline to 90 days
Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Roche cobas® c 111 Analyzer；Measurement Method：Venous blood is collected on an empty stomach, and serum is separated for instrument detection；Measurement Unit：Millimole per liter (mmol/L)
Baseline to 90 days
Leptin
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：ImmunoDiagnostics Limited / Thermo Fisher Scientific Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Kit；Measurement Method：Venous blood is collected on an empty stomach, plasma is separated and detected by double replicate ELISA；Measurement Unit：Nanogram per milliliter (ng/ml)
Baseline to 90 days
Ghrelin
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Bio-Rad Hercules California Luminex Assay Kit；Measurement Method：Venous blood is collected on an empty stomach, plasma is separated and detected by magnetic bead-based Luminex assay；Measurement Unit：Picogram per milliliter (pg/ml)
Baseline to 90 days
C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：ImmunoDiagnostics Limited / Thermo Fisher Scientific Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Kit；Measurement Method：Venous blood is collected on an empty stomach, plasma is separated and detected by double replicate ELISA；Measurement Unit：Microgram per milliliter (ug/ml)
Baseline to 90 days
Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Bio-Rad Hercules California Luminex Assay Kit；Measurement Method：Venous blood is collected on an empty stomach, plasma is separated and detected by magnetic bead-based Luminex assay；Measurement Unit：Picogram per milliliter (pg/ml)
Baseline to 90 days
Gut Microbiota Composition (Phylum/Class/Genus level)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Omega BIO-TEK Norcross E.Z.N.A.® Stool DNA Kit + BGI Genomics 16S/18S/ITS Amplicon Metagenomic Sequencing Platform；Measurement Method：Fecal samples are provided by subjects on an empty stomach, transported on ice within 2 hours or frozen at -80℃; microbial DNA is extracted for 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and taxonomic composition is analyzed by software such as DADA2 and phyloseq；Measurement Unit：Relative abundance (%) / No unit (sequencing read count)
Baseline to 90 days
Microbial Differential Abundance (Enterocloster/Gemella)
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：BGI Genomics 16S/18S/ITS Amplicon Metagenomic Sequencing Platform + R Language (emmeans/vegan package)；Measurement Method：Analyzed by Δabundance (post-intervention - pre-intervention), combined with Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) statistical tests；Measurement Unit：No unit (standardized abundance value)
Baseline to 90 days
Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) Targeted Metabolomics Detection
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Thermo ScientificTM TSQ Altis Mass Spectrometer + Thermo Scientific Vanquish TM Flex Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatograph + Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 Chromatographic Column；Measurement Method：Prepare SCFA standards and isotope internal standards, extract biological sample metabolites. UHPLC-MS/MS detection with gradient elution (40°C, 2μL injection, 0.3mL/min flow rate), ESI negative ion MRM mode; validate via linearity, precision, accuracy, stability and QC. Quantify with standard/internal standard ratio standard curve; conduct PCA, clustering, KEGG annotation and differential metabolite screening；Measurement Unit：nanogram per milliliter (ng/mL) / microgram per milliliter (ug/mL)
Baseline to 90 days
Total Daily Energy Intake
Time Frame: Baseline to 90 days

Full Name of Measurement Tool：Dietary Record（MyFitnessPal APP）； trained dietitians calculate total daily energy intake using nutrient databases; compliance is assessed during study visits；Measurement Unit：Kilocalorie per day (kcal/d)
Baseline to 90 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Beijing Sport University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Chang Liu, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, Beijing 100084

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)

November 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 7, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 7, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

November 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 7, 2026

Last Verified

November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB-2026097

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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