Effects of a Short-term Aerobic Interval Exercise Program on Cardiac Fat and Function in Women With Obesity: A Pilot Study

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The overall goal of this project is to the study the effects of an aerobic interval training program on cardiac fat, and its relationship to cardiac function using cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Official Title
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Effects of a Short-term Aerobic Interval Exercise Program on Cardiac Fat and Function in Women With Obesity: A Pilot Study

Conditions
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Obesity

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Aerobic Interval Training


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: females, age 18-40 years old, body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2 and < 39.9 kg/m2, without known metabolic and/or cardiovascular disease Exclusion Criteria: known CV, metabolic or pulmonary diseases or conditions, muscular-skeletal injuries (i.e. spine, knees, hips or shoulders, taking medications that affect endocrine or cardiovascular function, hypertension, being engaged in moderate intensity exercise more than two times per week or moderate-high intensity training of any type and frequency, being pregnant, cigarette smoking, having non-removable pieces or devices incompatible with DXA and CMR assessment

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 40 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Aerobic interval<br>Aerobic interval will consist of a supervised aerobic interval training sessions 3 times/week. Duration will range between 45-50 min/session depending on the exercise energy expenditure (target expenditure  450-500kcal/session). Each interval will have a total duration of 5 min, and it will be divided into 2 periods. The first period will consist of 3 minutes of high-intensity activity at 70-85% of predicted HRmax, and for the second period the intensity will be reduced to 60-65% of predicted HRmax for 2 minutes. The training sessions will be carried out outdoors at the trails located on campus. The activity will consist of walking and/or light jogging. The speed/incline will be changed depending on the participants' heart rate and perception using the Borg's rating of perceived exertion (RPE) as needed. The RPE for the first period range will be 13-17 (15-17 at the end of the period) and 10-12 for the second period. | Other: Aerobic Interval Training<br>* The aerobic interval training group<br>|
| No Intervention: Control group<br>Participants in the control group will not participate in the training programs. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Changes in Cardiac Adipose Tissue (CAT) | CAT will be measured using cardiac Magnetic Resonance | 2 assessment points: at baseline and week 5 | 
| Changes in Cardiac Function | Cardiac Function will be measured using cardiac Magnetic Resonance | 2 assessment points: at baseline and week 5 | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Changes in Body Composition | Body composition will be measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry | 2 assessment points: at baseline and week 5 | 
| Changes in Cardiorespiratory Function | Cardiorespiratory Function will be measured on a treadmill with a metabolic cart | 2 assessment points: at baseline and week 5 | 
| Changes in Muscular Strength | Muscular Strength will be assessed through 1 repetition maximum (1RM). | 2 assessment points: at baseline and week 5 | 
| Changes in Blood Pressure | Blood pressure will be measured using pulse wave analysis | 2 assessment points: at baseline and week 5 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Cardiac fat, Cardiac function, Aerobic interval training, Cardiac Magnetic Resonance, Vascular health