Effects of Exercise and GLP-1 Agonism on Muscle Microvascular Perfusion and Insulin Action in Adults With Metabolic Syndrome

NCT04575844 · Recruiting

Last updated 2026-05-28

This clinical trial is testing how exercise and a medication called GLP-1 agonists affect blood flow in small blood vessels and insulin function in adults with metabolic syndrome.

Status Recruiting Currently enrolling participants.

Phase Phase 4 Monitors a drug already on the market.

Type Interventional (clinical trial)

Design Randomized, open-label (no blinding) treatment study

Participants 80 people Planned (estimated).

Who can join Ages 21–60 · all sexes Healthy volunteers accepted.

Timeline Started 2020-11 · est. completion 2027-04

Where 1 site · United States

What this study is testing ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04575844 ↗

Description as written by the study sponsor.

The primary objective of this study is to examine whether exercise training alone, liraglutide treatment alone or exercise training plus liraglutide treatment increases cardiac and skeletal muscle microvascular blood volume, improves vascular function of the conduit vessels, and enhances insulin's metabolic action in humans with Metabolic Syndrome. Subjects will be randomized to one of the 4 groups: control, exercise training, liraglutide treatment, and exercise + liraglutide. They will be studied at the baseline and then after 24 weeks of intervention.

Treatments tested

Liraglutide Drug

24 weeks of Liraglutide
Exercise training Other

24 weeks of Exercise training
Liraglutide + Exercise training Drug

24 weeks of Liraglutide + Exercise training

Main thing measured	Microvascular Blood Volume - change from baseline
Sponsor	University of Virginia
Conditions studied	Metabolic Syndrome
GLP-1 drugs	—

Full protocol, eligibility, and contacts on ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04575844 ↗