Home Heat Therapy Tested for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes
Tests home hot water bathing in adults with type 2 diabetes aged 45 to 75.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Home-based Heat Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes
Key facts
- Where
- Montreal, CanadaSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 45 and 75 years old?
Source: NCT05269589, who can take part
Where in Canada
- Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart InstituteMontreal, CanadaTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Montreal Heart Institute
- Trial code
- NCT05269589
- Record updated
- 12 May 2026
- Original description
Insulin resistance and hyperglycemia predispose individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to endothelial dysfunction and a greater risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Increased CVD risk in individuals with T2DM persists despite optimal pharmacological therapy, highlighting the need to identify complementary lifestyle interventions that improve cardiometabolic functions in this population. Evidence from animal models suggests that heat exposure improves metabolic functions. Notably, weekly heat exposure for 16 weeks blunts hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia induced by a high fat diet in mice. In parallel, studies in humans have shown that heat exposure improves vascular endothelial function. Based on such findings, it has been suggested that heat therapy may represent an effective lifestyle intervention to improve cardiometabolic functions. However, only 1 study has examined the impact of a heat therapy intervention on individuals with T2DM, demonstrating that 6 weeks of heat exposure reduces fasting plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1C. No study has considered potential vascular benefits of heat therapy in individuals with T2DM.Read full original descriptionShow less
Impact of a Home-based Heat Therapy Intervention on Markers of Cardiometabolic Function in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes
Insulin resistance and hyperglycemia predispose individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to endothelial dysfunction and a greater risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Increased CVD risk in individuals with T2DM persists despite optimal pharmacological therapy, highlighting the need to identify complementary lifestyle interventions that improve cardiometabolic functions in this population. Evidence from animal models suggests that heat exposure improves metabolic functions. Notably, weekly heat exposure for 16 weeks blunts hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia induced by a high fat diet in mice. In parallel, studies in humans have shown that heat exposure improves vascular endothelial function. Based on such findings, it has been suggested that heat therapy may represent an effective lifestyle intervention to improve cardiometabolic functions. However, only 1 study has examined the impact of a heat therapy intervention on individuals with T2DM, demonstrating that 6 weeks of heat exposure reduces fasting plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1C. No study has considered potential vascular benefits of heat therapy in individuals with T2DM.
This project will investigate cardiometabolic responses to repeated heat exposure in men and women with T2DM. We will test the hypothesis that 12 weeks of heat therapy improves postprandial fatty acid handling, insulin sensitivity and endothelial function in individuals with T2DM.
Inclusion: Age 45-75 years; Diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus ≥1 year; Stable medication ≥12 weeks.
Exclusion: Insulin therapy; Hypertension not controled by medication; Diagnosis of cardiac, renal and/or pulmonary disease; Fasting plasma triglycerides >5.0 mmol/L; Fasting total cholesterol >7 mmol/l; Class 3 obesity; Diagnosis of severe neuropathy and/or retinopathy.