Can exercise rewire your genes to fix blood vessels?
NCT ID NCT03527420
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how 12 weeks of aerobic exercise changes DNA methylation—a chemical tag on genes—in fat tissue of 80 people with obesity who are scheduled for bariatric surgery. Researchers want to see if these changes improve blood vessel function and reduce inflammation. The goal is to understand the biological steps linking exercise to better vascular health.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- aerobic exercise training
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could reveal how exercise improves blood vessel health in obesity at a genetic level, pointing toward new prevention strategies.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage observational study, not a treatment trial. Results may not lead to direct therapies, and individual responses to exercise can vary widely.
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 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2019
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2026
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 50 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: * BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 * Between ages 18-50 years * Not pregnant * Approved for a bariatric surgery Exclusion Criteria: * To avoid confounding from other inflammatory conditions individuals with current cancer, heart, kidney or liver disease, gallbladder disease or acute or chronic inflammatory diseases (including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other autoimmune diseases and genetic diseases) will be excluded * Pregnant women will be excluded, as they will not be eligible for bariatric surgery * Current smokers * Currently abusing alcohol or drugs
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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
1 site. 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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University of Illinois at Chicago
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- A pill for obesity? early human trial puts MDR-001 to the test
- Can a weekly shot help people who still struggle with weight after bariatric surgery?
- Do GLP-1 Weight-Loss drugs change how teens eat and feel?
- Can electrical muscle stimulation boost exercise benefits after menopause?
- Can a cold cloth on the neck calm Post-Surgery nausea?