Can exercise plus a GLP-1 drug boost heart and muscle health in metabolic syndrome?
NCT ID NCT04575844
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at whether exercise training, the drug liraglutide, or both together can improve blood flow to the heart and muscles and help the body use insulin better in adults with metabolic syndrome. About 80 participants will be randomly assigned to one of four groups: control, exercise only, liraglutide only, or exercise plus liraglutide. They will be monitored for 24 weeks to measure changes in blood vessel function and insulin sensitivity.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Liraglutide (a GLP-1 receptor agonist drug) and supervised exercise training
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that combining exercise with liraglutide improves heart and muscle blood flow and insulin sensitivity better than either alone, pointing to a more effective management strategy for metabolic syndrome.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small, early-phase trial (80 participants) focused on short-term changes in blood flow and insulin action, not long-term health outcomes. Results may not apply to all people with metabolic syndrome, and liraglutide can cause side effects like nausea or vomiting.
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
-
Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
-
About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Nov 2020
- Expected to finish
-
Apr 2027
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
-
21 to 60 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: * Male or female ≥21 and ≤60 years old. * Body mass index \>25 and ≤35 kg/m2 and is weight stable (\<5 kg weight change in the past 6 months). BMI is limited to ≤35 kg/m2 for easier vascular access and cardiac imaging. * Meet 3 of 5 National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Metabolic Syndrome criteria: * Increased waist circumference (≥102 cm in men; ≥88 cm in women) * Elevated triglycerides (≥150 mg/dl) * Reduced HDL-cholesterol (\<40mg/dl in men, \<50 mg/dl in women) * High blood pressure (≥130 mmHg systolic or ≥85mmHg diastolic) * Elevated fasting glucose (≥100 mg/dl) * Subject may participate if on the following drugs, provided the drug doses have been stable for at least 3 months. * Ace inhibitor * ARB * HMG CoA reductase inhibitor * Beta blocker * Calcium channel blockers * Alpha-adrenergic antagonist * Statin Exclusion Criteria: * A diagnosis of any type of diabetes or history of diabetes medication use * Recently active (\>20 min of moderate/high intensity exercise, 2 times/week) * Subjects who are smokers or who have quit smoking \<5 years * Subjects with hypertriglyceridemia (\>400 mg/dl) or hypercholesterolemia (\>260 mg/dl) * Subjects with BP\>160/90 * Subjects with a history of significant metabolic, cardiac, cerebrovascular, hematological, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, liver, renal, or endocrine disease or malignancy * Pregnant (as evidenced by positive pregnancy test) or nursing women * Subjects with contraindications to participation in an exercise training program * Allergic to perflutren * A prior use of Liraglutide
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Metabolic syndrome are added.
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.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
University of Virginia
RECRUITINGCharlottesville, Virginia, 22906, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a weekly weight drug quiet gout attacks?
- Can a Once-Daily form of tacrolimus spare liver transplant patients from side effects?
- Ketogenic diet vs mediterranean diet: which better reshapes metabolism?
- Can tailoring bypass length improve weight loss surgery results?
- Can AI predict your lifespan from a short video?
- Do obese children with autism face different heart risks?