Why Exercise Changes Body Weight Differently in Adults With Overweight or Obesity
Studies how bodies respond to 12 weeks of supervised treadmill exercise in inactive adults.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Individual Variability in Energy Compensation After a 12-Week Supervised Exercise Intervention
Key facts
- Where
- Shenzhen, ChinaSee 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 18 and 40 years old?
Source: NCT07893249, who can take part
Where in China
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology ,Chinese Academy of SciencesShenzhen, ChinaNo longer taking part
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
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology ,Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Trial code
- NCT07893249
- Record updated
- 23 October 2026
- Original description
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.Read full original descriptionShow less
Personal Healthcare: Maxmising the Benefits of Exercise by Understanding the Mechanisms of Metabolic Compensation
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.
Inclusion: Sedentary individuals; BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2; Chinese male and female adults; Normal electrocardiogram (ECG).
Exclusion: Individuals who have undergone major surgery within the past 6 months (tooth extraction excluded); Individuals with claustrophobia or metallic implants in the body which are incompatible with MRI measurements; Individuals with cardiovascular diseases (e.g., hypertension) and severe; metabolic diseases requiring continuous medication (e.g., diabetes); Exercise-induced injuries, including joint diseases, fractures, etc; Individuals with infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, etc; Psychiatric and neurological disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, etc; Individuals with a history of hemophobia or needle phobia; Individuals who have attempted weight loss or weight gain through various means within the past three months; Individuals who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant during the study period; Individuals who have used antibiotics, probiotics, oral laxatives, etc., within eight weeks; Individuals who have been drinking deuterium depleted water which is incompatible with the DLW measures.