Critical Periods of Exercise

NCT ID: NCT01041820

Last Updated: 2019-11-25

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 20 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2009-12-31
• Study Completion Date: 2011-06-30

Brief Summary

Early childhood (~3-7 years of age) is an important window for determining body composition trajectory and may be a critical period for the development of tissue partitioning patterns that influence obesity risk. As adiposity accelerates during this critical period, deposition/ preservation of fat stores may be sustained at the 'expense' of other tissues; i.e. energy homeostasis may be inherently biased toward fat gain. The type and amount of tissue mass accrued in early childhood has implications for metabolic profile, glucose/insulin homeostasis, hormone profile and resting energy expenditure.

The interplay between fat and bone deposition represents a physiologic trait enabling the body to choose between shuttling 'energy' towards accrual of a particular tissue. Plausibly the phenotype underlying obesity and diabetes risk may be determined by the differentiation of cell type (adipocyte, osteocyte, etc.) during this early stage of growth and development. In vitro studies demonstrate transdifferentiation under the influence of specific external stimuli, which can switch phenotypes toward other cell lineages. Further, rodent models have demonstrated that exposure to stimuli (exercise) early in life may prevent excess fat mass accrual in adulthood, even when the stimulus is later removed (animals are no longer exercising). Children's early experiences (engagement in physical activity vs. sedentary behavior) may 'environmentally induce' alterations in body composition and predispose individuals to obesity throughout life.

Aim 1. To examine the associations between body composition via DXA and objectively-measured physical activity/inactivity.

1. Hypothesis 1.1: There is a positive association between physical activity and bone mass.

2. Hypothesis 1.2: There is a positive association between sedentary behavior and total fat mass.

Aim2. To examine the associations between adipose tissue distribution via MRI and objectively-measured physical activity/inactivity.

3. Hypothesis 2.1: There is an inverse association between physical activity and bone marrow adipose tissue.

4. Hypothesis 2.2: There is a positive association between sedentary behavior and bone marrow adipose tissue.

Conditions

Metabolism

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Exercise group

Children will participate in a 10-week moderate to vigorous exercise program

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Exercise

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Children will be exposed to a 10-week exercise intervention

non-exercising

Participants will receive no intervention

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Exercise

Children will be exposed to a 10-week exercise intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• children aged 3 to 7 years
• healthy, not under the care of a doctor
• not taking medications known to alter body composition or metabolism

• Minimum Eligible Age: 3 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 7 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Alabama at Birmingham

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Krista Casazza

Krista R. Casazza PhD, RD/Assistant Professor, UAB

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Family Care Center

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

F090904001

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id