New study tests if exercise and alendronate can save bones while shedding pounds
NCT ID NCT05764733
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at ways to prevent bone loss when older adults lose weight. It will test if a combination of resistance exercise and a bone-strengthening drug (alendronate) can protect bone density. About 900 overweight or obese older adults with low bone mass will take part for up to two years.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- alendronate (bisphosphonate) and resistance training/bone-loading exercise
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that combining exercise with a bone medication helps older adults lose weight safely without weakening their bones.
- What could go wrong
- This is a Phase 4 trial, so the drugs are already approved, but the specific combination may not work as hoped. Bone density changes are small and may not prevent fractures. Alendronate can cause side effects like jaw problems or stomach issues.
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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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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About 900 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2028
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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60 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 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: * Community-dwelling * BMI\>30 kg/m\^2 or BMI 25.0 to \<30 kg/m\^2 plus one risk factor * Currently receiving routine (annual) dental care * Pre-existing low bone mass (T-score ≤-1.1 to \>-2.5 at the hip, femoral neck, or lumbar spine (L1-L4)) Exclusion Criteria: * Weight greater than 450 lbs (DXA limit) * Resides with someone who is currently participating in BEACON * Dependent on quad cane or walker; inability to walk independently * History of mild cognitive impairment or dementia or evidence of cognitive impairment ((score \<20) on Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)) * Excessive alcohol use (\>21 drinks/week) in the past month; any non-cannabis illicit drug use * Weight change ≥5% in past 3 months * Regular participation (\>60 mins per day on \> 3 days/week) in structured strength training program for \>6 months * Severe arthritis, fracture, chronic injury, or other musculoskeletal disorder that prevents safe exercise participation; joint replacement or other orthopedic surgery in past 6 months or planned in next 12 months; invasive dental procedure (i.e. extraction/implant) in past 6 month or planned in next 12 months * Osteoporosis (any of the following): Self-reported and on prescription osteoporosis medication; self-reported prior spine, hip, wrist, or shoulder fracture after age 40 (except when caused by trauma or fall from height), including atypical femoral fractures (AFF); or ≥20% for major osteoporotic fracture at screening * Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic \>180 OR diastolic \>110 mmHg) upon repeated assessments (up to 3 times) * Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (HbA1c \>8%); dialysis or abnormal kidney function (eGFR \<45 mL/min/1.73 m2); liver disease or abnormal liver function (ALT levels 2 times above normal); anemia (Hb\<LLN); calcium above or below normal limit; uncontrolled thyroid disease (hypo/hyper) or requiring recent (past 3 months) adjustments in thyroid hormone supplementation or thyroid-stimulating hormone \<LLN or \>10 mIU/ml; vitamin D deficiency (\<20 ng/mL). * Stroke, heart attack, heart failure hospitalization, or revascularization procedure within the past 6 months; chronic respiratory disease requiring oxygen; PAD diagnosis within the last 12 months; uncontrolled angina; progressive neurological disease; malabsorption disorder; any disease suggesting a life-expectancy \<3 years; bilateral hip replacement; past or planned bariatric surgery; cancer requiring initial treatment within the last 12 months (except non-melanoma skin cancers); major vision or hearing loss; unstable gastric reflux; esophageal stricture, achalasia, or Barrett's esophagus * Daily use of growth hormones, weight loss medications, oral steroids, or diabetes prescriptions (such as insulin, thiazolidinediones, or canagliflozin); known allergy to bisphosphonates; prior use of oral bisphosphonates for \>3 months within the past 3 years; zoledronic acid within the past 5 years; denosumab use within the past year; anabolic agents for \>3 months in the last year; current use of biotin or strontium; history of 3+ years of antiresorptive therapy * Unable/unwilling to: provide own transportation to study visits, commit to study protocol (including random assignment), or adhere to data collection visits * Current participation in another intervention research study; planned out-of-town trip greater than 1 month at a time during the first 6 months of the study; unwilling to provide informed consent, including consent to access personal electronic health records; judged unsuitable for the trial for any reason by research team
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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 places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
RECRUITINGWinston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States
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University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
RECRUITINGAurora, Colorado, 80045, United States
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