Could exercising in thin air melt belly fat faster?

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

Inclusion Criteria: Aged 50-75 years, inclusive Male or postmenopausal female, defined as no menstruation during the previous 12 months Body mass index between 25 and 35 kg/m², inclusive Non-smoker or smoking no more than two cigarettes per day Stable body weight for at least three months before study initiation, defined as a change of less than 4 kg Stable dietary habits and physical activity level for at least three months before study initiation Willing to maintain usual dietary habits and physical activity level throughout the study Able and willing to comply with the study protocol Able and willing to provide written informed consent Affiliated with a social security scheme Willing to be registered in the French National Register of Volunteers Participating in Biomedical Research Exclusion Criteria: Medical or surgical history considered by the investigators to be incompatible with participation in the study Any medical condition considered by the investigators to be incompatible with participation in the study Medical contraindication to vigorous physical activity Current use of hormone replacement therapy Current use of beta-blocker therapy Diagnosed moderate-to-severe sleep apnoea syndrome that is untreated or inadequately controlled High-risk cardiovascular history, including symptomatic coronary artery disease, recent myocardial infarction or stroke, unstable heart failure, clinically significant arrhythmia, or uncontrolled hypertension Severe respiratory disease, including advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease classified as group B or E according to the 2023 GOLD classification, chronic respiratory failure, or uncontrolled asthma Diabetes of any type Chronic kidney disease stage 3B, 4 or 5 according to the KDIGO classification Severe liver disease, defined by an international normalised ratio greater than 1.2-1.3 Antibiotic treatment during the three months preceding the first stool collection More than eight hours of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week Any treatment that, in the investigators' opinion, could interfere with assessment of the study outcomes Low-energy diet during the three months preceding the study or intention to begin an energy-restricted diet during the study Extreme dietary habits Stay at an altitude above 2,500 m for more than eight days during the three months preceding the study Participation in another clinical study or currently within an exclusion period following participation in a previous clinical study Total compensation received for participation in research since the beginning of the calendar year exceeding €4,500, or the applicable regulatory limit Linguistic or psychological inability to provide informed consent Refusal to provide written informed consent Legally protected adult Deprived of liberty by an administrative or judicial decision Under guardianship or curatorship