Exercise explored as a tool against muscle loss in liver disease
NCT ID NCT05982769
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at how 12 weeks of endurance or resistance exercise affects muscle loss and ammonia buildup in people with cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can cause the liver to fail at processing ammonia, leading to muscle wasting and confusion. Researchers will compare two types of home-based exercise to standard care in 40 adults. The goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms behind exercise benefits in cirrhosis.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Exercise (endurance training and resistance training)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help establish specific exercise guidelines for cirrhosis patients to prevent muscle loss and improve quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (40 participants) focused on understanding mechanisms, not proving a treatment. Results may not apply to all cirrhosis patients.
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 40 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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Aug 2027
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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21 to 65 years
- 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 * Adult patients age 21-65 years of both genders * Diagnosis of cirrhosis by either liver biopsy, clinical, biochemical or imaging criteria * Child's score 5-10 * Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score less than 21 * Abstinence from alcohol and/or other recreational drugs for at least 6 months * Absence of concurrent illnesses (renal, cardiac, pulmonary, cerebrovascular, malignancy) or medication (anabolic steroids, corticosteroids) intake that affect skeletal muscle mass, diabetes mellitus (avoid altered muscle protein metabolism), or use of anticoagulants. * abdominal or liver CT scan within 1 year of enrollment for stratification Exclusion * Active alcohol consumption within 6 weeks of enrollment * Pedal edema (grade 2) above the ankle will be excluded to avoid complications of the muscle biopsy. * Liver transplant * Active Malignancy * Recent GI bleed (4 weeks) * Hepatic Encephalopathy within previous 6 months * Grade 2 or greater active esophageal varices * Active infection * Large Ascites as defined by clinical imaging * Advanced disease cardiac or pulmonary disease * Use of medications affecting muscle protein turnover including corticosteroids or medications used to prevent clotting * Clinical lab values that indicate potential poor clotting as determined by the PI * Inability to obtain informed consent; judged likely to be unable to perform exercise or unlikely to complete the study in the opinion of the investigators * End stage kidney disease as determined by glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \< 15 ml/min/1.73m2 or dialysis * Patients who in the opinion of the PI are unsafe for exercise (failure to pass stress test)
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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
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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Cleveland Clinic
RECRUITINGCleveland, Ohio, 44195, United States
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