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NCT Number: NCT06579508

Effects of High-intensity Exercise With Hypoxia and Taurine Supplementation on Metabolic and Mitochondrial Parameters

The prevalence of obesity in Brazil is one of the highest in Latin America. As an inflammatory disease, obesity needs to be treated, and one of the best interventions is exercise. This research aims to learn more about the effects of combining high-intensity training, recovery hypoxia, and taurine supplementation. To better understand these effects, the researchers will compare hypoxia and normoxia, as well as taurine and placebo, with all participants training in the same way. The researchers will also investigate mitochondrial respiration and food consumption to connect certain aspects of obesity with overall health.

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This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Age range

25 year–45 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of São Paulo, School of Physical Education and Sports of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

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About this study

Obesity is characterized by a chronic inflammatory state, often linked with elevated oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. While physical exercise can trigger inflammatory responses due to muscle damage, it also promotes significant bodily adaptations, particularly in body composition, physical fitness, and skeletal muscle tissue, including enhanced mitochondrial dynamics. Moderate hypoxia, when combined with exercise, further amplifies these benefits by increasing the expression of genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis, GLUT1 expression, and angiogenesis. Previous findings suggest that high-intensity physical activity not only improves cardiorespiratory capacity and alters body composition but also significantly elevates inflammation. Consequently, taurine, a supplement known for its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to reduce oxidative stress, should be considered to mitigate these issues and optimize the benefits of exercise and hypoxia. Based on these premises, it is hypothesized that the combination of taurine supplementation with physical training under recovery hypoxia may reduce the significant rise in pro-inflammatory cytokines, thereby enhancing the potential benefits of exercise and moderate hypoxia.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Women
  • Age between 25 - 45 years old;
  • BMI between 30 - 35kg/m²;
  • Not be on a diet;
  • Not be on a physical activity program;
  • Not be menopaused.

Exclusion criteria

  • Smokers;
  • Alcoholics;
  • Use thyroid medication;
  • Carry out nutritional monitoring or in treatment for weight loss;
  • Hypertension;
  • Metabolical syndrome;
  • Have any comorbidity associated to obesity;
  • Drugs use.

Treatment and study plan

Cycle ergometer

Other

The initial part will last 5 minutes at low intensity, corresponding to "easy" by the RPE.

The main part will be performed at the intensity of training zone 3 (100-110% of the Lan), lasting 5 minutes with a rest of 2.5 minutes between exercises. The intensity will be controlled by HR and RPE.

The final part will last 3 minutes at low intensity, corresponding to "easy" by the RPE.

The load progression occurred during the first four weeks, starting with 3 sets and adding 1 set per week.

The intensity of each effort is 100-110%HRAnTh.

Other names: Bike

Primary outcomes

  1. Anthropometry - Height

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) will be use for:

    Height measured in meters.

  2. Anthropometry - Weight

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) will be use for:

    Changes in body weight in kilograms (kg).

  3. Anthropometry - BMI

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) will be use for:

    Changes in body mass index (BMI = weight measured(kg) / (height (m)²).

  4. Body composition - Free-fat mass

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) will be use for:

    Changes in body composition for fat-free mass (grams and %).

  5. Body composition - Fat mass

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) will be use for:

    Changes in body composition for fat mass (grams and %).

  6. Body composition - Bone

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) will be use for:

    Changes in body composition for bone mineral content (g.cm²).

  7. Lipid profile - Cholesterol

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Quantified by Total Liquiform Cholesterol Kit, HDL Cholesterol Kit and Liquiform Triglycerides Kit, from Labtest diagnóstica®, using an enzymatic system and absorbance spectrophotometer:

    Changes in total cholesterol (mg/dL).

  8. Lipid profile - Triglycerides

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Quantified by Total Liquiform Cholesterol Kit, HDL Cholesterol Kit and Liquiform Triglycerides Kit, from Labtest diagnóstica®, using an enzymatic system and absorbance spectrophotometer:

    Changes in triglycerides (mg/dL).

  9. Lipid profile - HDL/LDL

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Quantified by Total Liquiform Cholesterol Kit, HDL Cholesterol Kit and Liquiform Triglycerides Kit, from Labtest diagnóstica®, using an enzymatic system and absorbance spectrophotometer:

    Changes in HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (mg/dL).

  10. Lipid profile - Glucose

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Quantified by Total Liquiform Cholesterol Kit, HDL Cholesterol Kit and Liquiform Triglycerides Kit, from Labtest diagnóstica®, using an enzymatic system and absorbance spectrophotometer:

    Changes in blood glucose (mg/dL).

  11. Inflammatory profile - pro inflammatory

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Changes in serum levels of cytokines will be evaluated with MILLIPLEX® Kit. Pro- inflammatory citokines: IL-6, TNF-α (pg/mL).

  12. Inflammatory profile - anti inflammatory

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Changes in serum levels of cytokines will be evaluated with MILLIPLEX® Kit. Ant- inflammatory citokines: IL-10 (pg/mL), Adiponectin (ng/mL).

  13. Aerobic performance - HRAnTh

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Physical tests performed pre-, after 6 weeks and post- intervention to assess aerobic physical fitness by incremental test in cycle ergometer. The test aim to evaluate:

    Anaerobic threshold (AT) using heart rate (HR).

  14. Aerobic performance - IAnTh

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Physical tests performed pre-, after 6 weeks and post- intervention to assess aerobic physical fitness by incremental test in cycle ergometer. The test aim to evaluate:

    Anaerobic threshold (AT) using intensity in Watts (W).

  15. Aerobic performance - RPEAnTh

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Physical tests performed pre-, after 6 weeks and post- intervention to assess aerobic physical fitness by incremental test in cycle ergometer. The test aim to evaluate:

    Anaerobic threshold (AT) using Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE).

  16. Aerobic performance - LacAnTh

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Physical tests performed pre-, after 6 weeks and post- intervention to assess aerobic physical fitness by incremental test in cycle ergometer. The test aim to evaluate:

    Anaerobic threshold (AT) using lactate concentration [lac-].

  17. Aerobic performance - VO2

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Physical tests performed pre-, after 6 weeks and post- intervention to assess aerobic physical fitness by incremental test in cycle ergometer. The test aim to evaluate:

    VO2peak in ml.kg-1.min-1.

  18. Food Intake

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    A food record of three non-consecutive days: two days of the week and one day in the weekend. This evaluation will last 12 weeks. Will be evaluated with Dietwin® software (São Paulo, Brazil):

    The macronutrients, micronutrients and fiber in quilocalories and percentage (%)

  19. Food quality

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    The feed will undergo analysis through the NOVA Classification. By NOVA, food will be classified into four groups: Group 1 - Unprocessed or minimally processed foods; Group 2 - Processed culinary ingredients; Group 3 - Processed foods; Group 4 - Ultra-processed foods.

    For each category, the total calories ingested will be calculated, and later, represented in percentage (%) the participation of each food group in the general diet.

  20. Taurine rates

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    The participants will supplement 3g of taurina or placebo during 12 weeks. The rate of plasmatic taurine (mmol) will be evaluated during pre and post intervention.

  21. Muscle biopsy - RNA

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    After biopsy the tissue will be treated for:

    qPCR analysis.

  22. Muscle biopsy - Protein

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    After biopsy the tissue will be treated for:

    Western blotting analysis.

  23. Muscle biopsy - Mitochondria

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    After biopsy the tissue will be treated for:

    High-resolution respirometry of muscle fibers analysis.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Training measures - RPE

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    The Borg scale will be use to quantify the:

    Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE) - will be noted after each effort during all the training program.

  2. Training measures - TRIMP

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    The internal load will be calculated using TRIMP:

    Calculated multipling the RPE for the time in effort (TRIMP = RPE * time in effort), for each participant and training session.

  3. Training measures - SP02

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    The Oxygen saturation (SpO2) will be measure in percent (%), using a pulse oximeter.

    SpO2 (%) will be noted after the end of the effort, the lowest point during the rest and in the end of the rest.

  4. Training measures - HR

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    The heart rate (HR) will be measure in beats per minute (BPM) with Polar clock.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Sao Paulo

Other

Collaborators

  • Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of High-intensity Intermittent Exercise With Recovery Hypoxia and Taurine Supplementation in Women With Obesity on Metabolic and Mitochondrial Parameters

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Aug 30, 2024
Registry last updated
May 11, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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