Lifestyle Intervention Program for Former Elite Athletes

NCT03031951 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 16/2016
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 94
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Given the lack of support for lifestyle management in post-career and considering the high rates of physical inactivity and overweight in former elite athletes, the aim of this research project is to analyze the efficacy and effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention in former athletes.

Conditions

Obesity

Keywords

Former athletes; Body composition; Adaptive thermogenesis; Physical activity; Energy expenditure; Sedentary behavior; Fat mass; Abdominal fat mass; Nutrition; Behavior modification

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Whole body fat mass (FM)

  To estimate total FM, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (Hologic Explorer-W, Waltham, USA) will be used. A whole-body scan will be performed and the attenuation of X-rays pulsed between 70 and 140 kV synchronously with the line frequency for each pixel of the scanned image will be measured. Total abdominal FM by identifying a specific region of interest (ROI) within the analysis programme.

  12 month

• Abdominal Fat Mass

  Specific DXA ROIs for abdominal regional fat will be defined as follows: ROI 1, the upper edge of the second lumbar vertebra (approximately 10 cm above the L4 to L5) to above the iliac crest and laterally encompasses the entire breadth of the abdomen, thus determining total abdominal fat mass.

  12 months

Secondary Outcomes (27)

• Weight

  12 months

• Height

  baseline

• Body mass index

  12 months

• Circumferences

  12 months

• Cardiorespiratory Fitness

  12 months

Study Arms (2)

Lifestyle Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Subjects will attend 12 educational sessions for a healthy lifestyle in groups of 10-15 participants, for approximately 4 months. Sessions will last 90-120 minutes and will include educational content and practical application classroom exercises in the areas of physical activity and exercise, diet and eating behavior, and behavior modification. The inclusion of self-regulation skills, such as pedometer use, recording food regularly and monitoring weight, is also part of the curriculum. Participants will be instructed and motivated to make small but enduring reductions in caloric intake and to increase energy expenditure to induce a daily energy deficit of approximately 300 kcal. Weight will be monitored weekly.

Behavioral: Lifestyle Intervention Group

Control Group - Waiting List

NO INTERVENTION

Participants assigned to the control group will have access to the intervention after the 12-month period - waiting list. Meanwhile, participants will receive multimedia health information fortnightly by e-mail over the first 4-month period. The health information covers healthy lifestyle topics. During the 12 months of study participation, control group participants will be instructed to maintain their baseline level of physical activity. Individuals assigned to the control group will be asked to maintain their current nutritional practices and physical activity patterns.

Interventions

Lifestyle Intervention Group BEHAVIORAL

The intervention group will start the lifestyle intervention with a 60-minute nutrition appointment given by a certified dietitian. This meeting is intended to provide a well-balanced personalized diet plan, calculated to create a moderate reduction from \~300 to 500kcal/day according to each participant's energy requirements and preferences. Two additional follow-up appointments are also planned to adjust the individual energy requirements throughout the intervention. Subjects will attend 12 educational sessions for a healthy lifestyle in groups of 10-15 participants, for approximately 4 months. Sessions will last 60-90 minutes and will include educational content and practical application classroom exercises in the areas of physical activity and exercise, diet and eating behavior, and behavior modification. The inclusion of self-regulation skills, such as pedometer use, recording food regularly and monitoring weight, is also part of the curriculum. Weight will be monitored weekly.

Also known as: Lifestyle Intervention Programme

Lifestyle Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Being a Former high-level athlete;
• Being Physical Inactive (not exercising for \>20 min at least 3 days/week);
• Being Overweight or Obese (BMI exceed≥25 kg/m2);
• Willing to be randomized to either control or intervention groups and follow the protocol to which they have been assigned;
• Willing to participate in the educational sessions performed at Faculdade de Motricidade Humana - Universidade de Lisboa;
• Unwilling to consider using weight loss medications;

You may not qualify if:

• Failure to complete the run-in for dietary intake and physical activity;
• Lack of support from primary health care provider or family members;
• Being unable or unwilling to give informed consent or communicate with local study staff;
• Current diagnosis of schizophrenia, other psychotic disorders, or bipolar disorder;
• Eating disorders;
• Medical conditions such as thyroid disorders;
• Diabetes and cardiovascular disease or other medical condition known to affect energy balance homeostasis;
• Hospitalization for depression in past six months;
• Self-report of alcohol or substance abuse within the past twelve months, current consumption of more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week, and/or current acute treatment or rehabilitation program for these problems;
• Pregnancy or planning to get pregnant within the next 9 month, having been pregnant within the past 6 months or breastfeeding;
• History of weight loss surgery or liposuction procedures;
• Current participation in a weight loss program;
• In the past three months, weight loss exceeding 4.5 kg (such individuals may have difficulty losing additional weight) or successful attempts to lose weight within the past 6-month;
• Current use of medications for weight loss;
• Chronic treatment with systemic corticosteroids;

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Faculdade de Motricidade Humana: lead

Study Sites (1)

Faculdade de Motricidade Humana

Oeiras, Cruz-Quebrada, 1409-002, Portugal

Location

Related Publications (15)

• Stubbs RJ, Hughes DA, Johnstone AM, Horgan GW, King N, Blundell JE. A decrease in physical activity affects appetite, energy, and nutrient balance in lean men feeding ad libitum. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Jan;79(1):62-9. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/79.1.62.

  PMID: 14684398 BACKGROUND

• Miller MA, Croft LB, Belanger AR, Romero-Corral A, Somers VK, Roberts AJ, Goldman ME. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in retired National Football League players. Am J Cardiol. 2008 May 1;101(9):1281-4. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2007.12.029. Epub 2008 Mar 7.

  PMID: 18435958 BACKGROUND

• Pihl E, Jurimae T. Relationships between body weight change and cardiovascular disease risk factors in male former athletes. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Jul;25(7):1057-62. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0801642.

  PMID: 11443506 BACKGROUND

• Pihl E, Zilmer K, Kullisaar T, Kairane C, Magi A, Zilmer M. Atherogenic inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in relation to overweight values in male former athletes. Int J Obes (Lond). 2006 Jan;30(1):141-6. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803068.

  PMID: 16158088 BACKGROUND

• Dey SK, Ghosh C, Debray P, Chatterjee M. Coronary artery disease risk factors & their association with physical activity in older athletes. J Cardiovasc Risk. 2002 Dec;9(6):383-92. doi: 10.1097/01.hjr.0000049244.21319.20.

  PMID: 12478209 BACKGROUND

• Kujala UM, Marti P, Kaprio J, Hernelahti M, Tikkanen H, Sarna S. Occurrence of chronic disease in former top-level athletes. Predominance of benefits, risks or selection effects? Sports Med. 2003;33(8):553-61. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200333080-00001.

  PMID: 12797837 BACKGROUND

• Buchwald H, Roberts AJ. The HOPE (heart, obesity, prevention, education) program for former NFL players. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2014 Jul-Aug;10(4):573-5. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2014.02.030. Epub 2014 Mar 1. No abstract available.

  PMID: 24958646 BACKGROUND

• Batista C, Soares JM. Are former athletes more prone to asthma? J Asthma. 2013 May;50(4):403-9. doi: 10.3109/02770903.2013.776075. Epub 2013 Apr 8.

  PMID: 23489224 BACKGROUND

• Nunes CL, Jesus F, Rosa GB, Marianito M, Francisco R, Bosy-Westphal A, Minderico CS, Martins P, Sardinha LB, Silva AM. Interindividual variability in energy intake and expenditure during a weight loss intervention. Appetite. 2024 Feb 1;193:107162. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107162. Epub 2023 Dec 13.

  PMID: 38101517 DERIVED

• Nunes CL, Rosa GB, Jesus F, Heymsfield SB, Minderico CS, Martins P, Sardinha LB, Silva AM. Interindividual variability in metabolic adaptation of non-exercise activity thermogenesis after a 1-year weight loss intervention in former elite athletes. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023 Aug;23(8):1761-1770. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2147020. Epub 2022 Nov 28.

  PMID: 36377398 DERIVED

• Nunes CL, Carraca EV, Jesus F, Finlayson G, Francisco R, Silva MN, Santos I, Bosy-Westphal A, Martins P, Minderico C, Sardinha LB, Silva AM. Changes in food reward and intuitive eating after weight loss and maintenance in former athletes with overweight or obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2022 May;30(5):1004-1014. doi: 10.1002/oby.23407. Epub 2022 Mar 28.

  PMID: 35347875 DERIVED

• Nunes CL, Jesus F, Francisco R, Matias CN, Heo M, Heymsfield SB, Bosy-Westphal A, Sardinha LB, Martins P, Minderico CS, Silva AM. Adaptive thermogenesis after moderate weight loss: magnitude and methodological issues. Eur J Nutr. 2022 Apr;61(3):1405-1416. doi: 10.1007/s00394-021-02742-6. Epub 2021 Nov 27.

  PMID: 34839398 DERIVED

• Silva AM, Nunes CL, Jesus F, Francisco R, Matias CN, Cardoso M, Santos I, Carraca EV, Finlayson G, Silva MN, Dickinson S, Allison D, Minderico CS, Martins P, Sardinha LB. Effectiveness of a lifestyle weight-loss intervention targeting inactive former elite athletes: the Champ4Life randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med. 2022 Apr;56(7):394-401. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2021-104212. Epub 2021 Oct 1.

  PMID: 34598935 DERIVED

• Matias CN, Campa F, Nunes CL, Francisco R, Jesus F, Cardoso M, Valamatos MJ, Homens PM, Sardinha LB, Martins P, Minderico C, Silva AM. Phase Angle Is a Marker of Muscle Quantity and Strength in Overweight/Obese Former Athletes. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jun 21;18(12):6649. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18126649.

  PMID: 34205575 DERIVED

• Campa F, Matias CN, Nunes CL, Monteiro CP, Francisco R, Jesus F, Marini E, Sardinha LB, Martins P, Minderico C, Silva AM. Specific Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis Identifies Body Fat Reduction after a Lifestyle Intervention in Former Elite Athletes. Biology (Basel). 2021 Jun 12;10(6):524. doi: 10.3390/biology10060524.

  PMID: 34204604 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity; Motor Activity; Sedentary Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Analiza Silva

  Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 16, 2017
• First Posted: January 26, 2017
• Study Start: September 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: October 1, 2020
• Study Completion: January 31, 2021
• Last Updated: February 2, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

PT (1)