Heat and Exercise in Aging as Therapy (HEAT)
The main goal of this two-phase clinical trial is to learn whether local heat therapy, using heat pads applied to the legs, can enhance skeletal muscle health, physical function, and blood sugar control in a manner comparable to exercise, specifically High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), in older individuals with prediabetes. The study aims to answer the following questions: 1. Does local heat therapy improve muscle architecture (e.g., muscle cross-sectional area, capillary density, mitochondrial content)…
Conditions studied
Prediabetic State
About this study
The main goal of this two-phase clinical trial is to learn whether local heat therapy, using heat pads applied to the legs, can enhance skeletal muscle health, physical function, and blood sugar control in a manner comparable to exercise, specifically High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), in older individuals with prediabetes. The study aims to answer the following questions: 1. Does local heat therapy improve muscle architecture (e.g., muscle cross-sectional area, capillary density, mitochondrial content), glucose tolerance, and frailty indicators similarly to HIIT in older individuals with prediabetes? 2. Does local heat therapy as a pre-conditioning method enhance the skeletal muscle response to HIIT in older individuals with prediabetes?
Interventions
- Behavioral: Heat therapy — Heat pads will be set to a pre-determined, optimized temperature and applied to both legs for 90 min, 6d/wk (5 at-home and 1 in-lab).
- Behavioral: High-intensity interval training — High-intensity interval training will be performed 3 days per week for 12 weeks.
Primary outcomes
- Glycemic control (Before intervention, after Phase 1 (at about 12 weeks), and after Phase 2 (at about 24 weeks, except HIIT group))
- Skeletal muscle architecture 1 (Before intervention, after Phase 1 (at about 12 weeks), and after Phase 2 (at about 24 weeks, except HIIT group))
- Skeletal muscle architecture 2 (Before intervention, after Phase 1 (at about 12 weeks), and after Phase 2 (at about 24 weeks, except HIIT group))
- Frailty status (Before intervention, after Phase 1 (at about 12 weeks), and after Phase 2 (at about 24 weeks, except HIIT group))
- Exercise capacity (Before intervention, after Phase 1 (at about 12 weeks), and after Phase 2 (at about 24 weeks, except HIIT group))
Eligibility information
Study locations
- Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409 United States
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. Record last refreshed by Varda Clinical: 2026-11-10.