Can a bike ride curb drinking and heal the liver?

NCT ID NCT07824089

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing whether a 12-week home cycling program can help adults with alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related liver disease drink less and crave alcohol less. Thirty participants join either the exercise program plus standard care or standard care alone. The study also tracks liver injury markers, fitness, fatigue, and a hormone called FGF21 to see if exercise works through that pathway.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
supervised home endurance exercise on a stationary bike
What this could lead to
If exercise helps, it could offer a low-cost, drug-free way to support people cutting back on alcohol and protect their livers.
What could go wrong
This is a small 30-person study, so results may not hold up in larger groups. Exercise alone may not be enough to change drinking habits, and some participants may struggle to stick with the program.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Oct 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Dec 2031

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * • Adults age 18 years or older, of either sex. * Clinical diagnosis of alcohol use disorder (AUD) / alcohol-related liver disease (ALD). * Meets NIAAA hazardous-drinking criteria: at least 7 drinks/week for women or 14 drinks/week for men for more than 6 months, with ongoing alcohol use within 2 months of evaluation. * MELD score less than 21. * Able to safely participate in exercise testing and endurance exercise. * Able to provide informed consent. * No concurrent renal, cardiac, pulmonary, cerebrovascular, or malignant illness that affects skeletal muscle mass; no diabetes mellitus; and no use of medications that affect skeletal muscle mass/protein turnover as described in the protocol, including anabolic steroids, high-dose corticosteroids, or anticoagulants. Exclusion Criteria: * • Pedal edema above the ankle or grade 2 pedal edema. * Liver transplant. * Active malignancy. * Gastrointestinal bleed within the previous 4 weeks. * Hepatic encephalopathy within the previous 6 months. * Grade 2 or greater active esophageal varices. * Active infection. * Large ascites by clinical and/or imaging criteria. * Advanced cardiac disease (NYHA class 3 or 4) or advanced pulmonary disease (GOLD class 3 or 4). * Use of medications affecting muscle protein turnover, including corticosteroids, or medications used to prevent clotting. * Prior orthopedic surgery or chronic joint pain that, in the opinion of the PI, may inhibit participation. * INR greater than 1.7 or platelet count less than 60,000/mL. * Unable to provide informed consent; judged likely to be unable to perform exercise or unlikely to complete the study in the opinion of the investigators. * End-stage kidney disease defined as eGFR less than 15 mL/min/1.73 m² or dialysis. * Considered unsafe for exercise in the opinion of the PI. * Failure to pass the exercise stress test.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

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  2. The official record

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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Cleveland Clinic

    RECRUITING

    Cleveland, Ohio, 44195, United States

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