Actively Recruiting
Bath MyoRhythms Project: Characterising Rhythmicity in Human Skeletal Muscle Metabolism
Led by University of Bath · Updated on 2026-05-11
30
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
N/A
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
U
University of Bath
Lead Sponsor
U
University of Surrey
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Researchers are studying how the body's internal clock controls daily rhythms in metabolism, particularly focusing on human skeletal muscle. This research aims to understand how muscle activity and timing of exercise affect metabolism over a 24-hour period, building on previous findings from rodent studies and initial human muscle sampling. The study is led by the University of Bath and explores links between muscle metabolism, nutrient availability, and daily biological rhythms. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: early exercise, late exercise, or resting control. Those in exercise groups will perform one hour of cycling either at 8:00 AM or 8:00 PM during a 24-hour monitoring period. Nutrients will be continuously delivered through a nasogastric tube throughout the day and night. Muscle and blood samples will be collected multiple times during the 24-hour period, with participants staying in the lab for 36 hours including overnight monitoring. Before the main study visit, participants will undergo preliminary testing and follow controlled diet and activity patterns for a week. During the study, resting metabolic rate, body temperature, and glucose levels will be monitored using various devices. Researchers will measure carbohydrate metabolism, muscle protein synthesis, gene expression, blood hormone levels, and other metabolic markers. The goal is to capture detailed metabolic rhythms and how they change with exercise timing over the 24-hour cycle.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Bath Myorhythms Project
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Women and men aged 18 to 50 years
- Body mass index between 18 and 35 kg/m2
- Minimum body weight of 67 kg
- Premenopausal women
- Metabolically healthy with no diagnosed metabolic illness or family history of type II diabetes
- Able and willing to give informed oral and written consent
- Regular sleep cycle with 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night
- No extreme morning or evening preference
- Agree to keep a consistent sleep-wake cycle with 8 hours in bed for one week before the study
- Obtain 15 minutes of sunlight within 1.5 hours of waking and limit naps to a 4-hour window for one week before the study
- Willing to wear monitoring devices and complete sleep and event diaries for one week before the study
- Agree to avoid alcohol, caffeine, strenuous exercise, and certain foods for one day before the study
- Agree to weigh and record meals for two days before the study
- Willing to refrain from medications and supplements that could affect study outcomes for three weeks before and during the study if safe to do so
You will not qualify if you...
- Taking medications or supplements that cannot be stopped and affect sleep, metabolism, inflammation, or blood flow
- History of circadian or sleep disorders, metabolic, cardiovascular, chronic infectious, or inflammatory diseases
- History of psychiatric or neurological disease or drug and alcohol abuse
- Donated more than 400 ml of blood in the past three months
- Recent shift work or travel across more than two time zones within three weeks before the study
- Irregular sleep-wake cycle
- Failure to abstain from alcohol, caffeine, strenuous exercise, and certain foods one day before and during the study
- Regular consumption of more than four cups of caffeinated beverages daily
- Smoking
- Known allergy to lidocaine
AI-Screening
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Your Study Journey
Duration - 2 to 4 weeks
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.
1 visit (in-person)
Duration - 1 week
Participants are monitored for one week with wearable devices and maintain dietary and lifestyle controls including sleep and food diaries before the main laboratory visit.
Daily monitoring with wearable devices and diaries
Duration - 2 days
Participants attend the laboratory for a 24-hour monitoring period including a standardised evening meal, sleep in the lab, infusion of labelled protein and glucose, muscle and blood sampling, and either 1 hour of exercise in the morning or evening or rest depending on group assignment.
1 overnight stay and continuous monitoring during the 24-hour period
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
University of Bath
Bath, United Kingdom, BA2 7AY
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
J
James A Betts, PhD
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Number of Arms
3
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