Can your belly fat predict heart disease? new study investigates
NCT ID NCT07504679
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study aims to understand how fat around the belly and heart relates to inflammation and early signs of heart disease, diabetes, and fatty liver. Researchers will enroll 400 adults without known heart or liver disease. Participants will undergo non-invasive tests like ultrasound and blood draws to find biomarkers that could predict future health problems.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to simple blood tests or scans that predict who is at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and fatty liver before symptoms appear.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage observational study, not a treatment trial. It may not find clear links, and results may not apply to everyone.
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
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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
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About 400 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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May 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Age ≥ 18 years * Outpatients attending screening or prevention programs at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS * Ability to provide written informed consent * Willingness to undergo: * Additional blood collection for metabolic and inflammatory biomarker analyses * Liver elastography (FibroScan) Exclusion Criteria: * Documented history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, coronary angioplasty, coronary artery bypass grafting, peripheral artery disease, lower limb revascularization procedures, ischemic stroke, hemodynamically significant carotid stenosis, carotid endarterectomy or angioplasty, or aortopathy; * Known chronic liver disease of other etiology (e.g., viral hepatitis, autoimmune liver disease, hemochromatosis, alcoholic liver disease); * Significant alcohol consumption (\>30 g/day for men, \>20 g/day for women); * Chronic systemic inflammatory diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, spondyloarthritis, mixed connective tissue disease, etc.); * Active chronic infections, including HIV, active hepatitis B or C, untreated latent tuberculosis, or any other diagnosed chronic infection; * Active or past malignancy within the last 5 years; * Current treatment with systemic anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppressants, or corticosteroids at pharmacological doses; * Current pregnancy or breastfeeding; * Any clinical or psychiatric condition that, in the investigator's judgment, could compromise participation or the validity of collected data.
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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
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.