Lifting weights and drinking protein shakes during chemo: a new study tests if it helps body composition
NCT ID NCT06858449
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is testing whether resistance training combined with a post-workout protein drink can help women with breast cancer maintain muscle and reduce fat gain while they undergo chemotherapy. Thirty women will be randomly assigned to receive either 20 or 60 grams of whey protein after supervised exercise sessions. The goal is to see if this approach improves body composition and physical function during treatment.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- whey protein
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple way to help women maintain muscle and reduce fat gain during chemotherapy for breast cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The intervention involves exercise and protein, which are generally safe but may not significantly change outcomes.
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
-
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
-
About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Jan 2025
- Expected to finish
-
Mar 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
-
20 to 89 years
- Sex
-
Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: 1. Age 20-89 years 2. Women with a biopsy proven diagnosis of invasive carcinoma of the breast. 3. Women must undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer treatment prior to surgery 4. Must be able to read and understand English and consent for themselves. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Inability to get up and down off the ground or squat body weight 2. Inability to safely engage in group exercise sessions as deemed by study PI 3. Severe arthritic, joint, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, or any other condition deemed by PI to be unsafe to engage in resistance training 4. Lactose intolerance 5. Cow's milk or whey protein allergy 6. Pregnant women 7. Males
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Breast cancer 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
-
Allegheny General Hospital
RECRUITINGPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15212, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a faster radiation course match the standard one after breast reconstruction?
- Gut bacteria may hold clues to dozens of diseases
- Can High-Risk breast cancer patients skip an extra radiation boost?
- Can a gentler blood thinner shield cancer patients from new clots?
- Can more phone calls after cancer surgery keep patients out of the hospital?
- Radioactive probe lights up CD73 on breast tumors in PET scans