Individual Variability in Energy Compensation After a 12-Week Supervised Exercise Intervention

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Supervised Aerobic Exercise Programme: Participants will perform supervised treadmill exercise five days per week for 12 weeks. Each session will be conducted at 60% of the participant's measured maximal oxygen uptake. The prescribed exercise energy expenditure will be 150 kcal per session in Weeks 1-4, 250 kcal per session in Weeks 5-8, and 350 kcal per session in Weeks 9-12. Session duration will be adjusted individually to meet the energy-expenditure target. Maximal oxygen uptake will be reassessed at prespecified intervals, provisionally at baseline and Weeks 4, 8, and 12, to maintain the prescribed relative intensity. Attendance, completed exercise dose, heart rate, adverse symptoms, and protocol deviations will be documented. 150 Kcal for Weeks 1-4 (gradually increase to 150 Kcal in the first two weeks as familiar stage), 250 Kcal for Weeks 5-8, 350 Kcal for Weeks 9-12.

Study summary

This prospective, single-arm interventional study will investigate why adults receiving the same prescribed dose and relative intensity of exercise show divergent changes in energy balance, body weight, and body composition. A total of 150 sedentary Chinese adults aged 18-40 years with overweight or obesity will complete a 12-week, supervised treadmill exercise programme. Exercise will be performed five times per week at an intensity corresponding to 60% of each participant's measured maximal oxygen uptake. Prescribed exercise energy expenditure will increase progressively from 150 kcal per session in Weeks 1-4 to 250 kcal per session in Weeks 5-8 and 350 kcal per session in Weeks 9-12.

The primary objective is to quantify inter-individual variability in energy compensation after the standardized intervention. Detailed measurements will characterize total and resting energy expenditure, energy intake, appetite, physical activity, body composition, glucose dynamics, cardiorespiratory fitness, brain responses to food-related stimuli, and molecular phenotypes. Multi-omics analyses will include gut microbiome, metabolomic, proteomic, extracellular-vesicle, peripheral blood mononuclear cell, and transcriptomic assessments. The study will explore physiological, behavioral, and molecular factors associated with divergent compensatory responses. No randomized comparator group is included; therefore, causal comparisons between exercise and non-exercise conditions are outside the study scope.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Energy compensation after the 12-week supervised exercise intervention — Baseline to Week 12
  Exercise energy compensation (ExEC), expressed in percentage, will be calculated as \[(ExEE plus change in body energy stores) divided by ExEE\] multiplied by 100. ExEE will be calculated from completed supervised exercise sessions. Change in body energy stores will be derived from changes in fat mass and fat-free mass between baseline and Week 12 and divided by the intervention duration. A value of 0% indicates no compensation, whereas 100% indicates complete compensation for the exercise-induced energy expenditure.

Trial sites (1)

More Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology ,Chinese Academy of Sciences trials in China

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