Exercise clinical trials at UC Davis

Frailty and sarcopenia are modifiable risk factors for morbidity and mortality in patients with ESRD. Exercise is the recommended intervention to prevent frailty and sarcopenia, however, many clinical trials have shown limited clinical improvement in muscle mass and physical function. We propose that mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the deterrents to the effectiveness of the exercise. We plan to evaluate the additive effect of HIIT and CoQ10, a mitochondrial-targeted therapy, on mitochondrial function and physical performance. Understanding the interplay among CoQ10, exercise, and mitochondrial function will identify novel mechanisms to improve the efficiency of exercise. This will also serve to prevent frailty, sarcopenia, and muscle dysfunction in patients with ESRD.

This is a multicenter, randomized 2-arm clinical trial of two lifestyle interventions varying in intensity and format, in 400 older African American and non-Hispanic whites at increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia in the East San Francisco Bay Area. The trial will include two lifestyle interventions that differ in intensity and format: 1. Aerobic Exercise (AEx) Intervention that involves aerobic activities with in-class walking workouts and tutorials and carried out at the East Oakland Sports Center (EOSC) and Tice Creek Fitness Center (TICE). 2. Dietary counseling to support adherence to the Mediterranean-Diet Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet to encourage increased consumption of berries, green leafy and other vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, poultry, beans and olive oil, and to reduce consumption of fried/fast foods, red meat, whole fat cheese, sweets, butter and trans-fat margarines.