RecruitingNAINTERVENTIONAL

The Effect of Short-term Supplementation of OliPhenolia® on Fat Oxidation

This research is exploring if a special drink made from olives, called OliPhenolia®, can help your body use more fat for energy when you exercise. Many plant-based products are being studied for their health benefits, especially for people who are active but not professional athletes. Previous studies hinted that this olive drink might have antioxidant benefits and could make exercise feel easier. This new study wants to find out if taking the drink for a short time can actually boost fat burning during cycling workouts. We also want to see if drinking a caffeinated beverage before exercising with OliPhenolia® makes this fat-burning effect even stronger. This could be useful for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Phase

Sponsor

Anglia Ruskin University

Enrolment target

Start

30 May 2025

Estimated completion

30 Sep 2026

Healthy

What is this study about?

This study is particularly interested in how natural foods, like certain plant extracts, can affect our bodies during exercise. We're focusing on a specific olive extract drink called OliPhenolia®, which comes from an organic farm in Italy. You can buy this drink already, and some earlier research has suggested it might have good effects, like reducing stress on the body and making aerobic exercise feel less effortful. This new research takes the next step to see if this drink can specifically help your body burn more fat when you're exercising.

Burning fat effectively during exercise is important for overall health and fitness. This study has two main goals. Firstly, we want to know if drinking OliPhenolia® for just eight days can increase how much fat your body burns during a cycling workout compared to a dummy drink (placebo). Secondly, we're curious if combining the OliPhenolia® drink with a caffeinated drink right before exercise can make that fat-burning even better. We'll compare this to just having the OliPhenolia® with a non-caffeinated drink, or just the dummy drink with or without caffeine.

This research is important because it could show if a natural product widely available could offer a simple way for healthy, active individuals to improve their body's ability to burn fat during exercise. Understanding these effects could contribute to better advice for staying fit and healthy.

Key takeaways

Researchers are studying an olive extract drink (OliPhenolia®).
The goal is to see if it helps burn more fat during exercise.
They also want to know if caffeine makes this effect stronger.
Healthy, active adults aged 21+ are needed.
Participation involves exercise tests and drinking a product for 8 days.

Who may be eligible?

To join this study, you should be a healthy adult living in the UK, aged 21 or older, with a healthy body weight for your height (BMI between 18 and 30). You should also be moderately active, meaning you get at least 150 minutes of physical activity or exercise each week, like brisk walking or cycling.

We need to make sure you're generally healthy, so you shouldn't have a history of serious heart problems, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, or diabetes. You also shouldn't have any injuries right now that would stop you from exercising, or have had recent flu-like illnesses in the last two months. You shouldn't be taking any regular medications that might affect exercise, except for asthma inhalers or contraceptive pills.

It's important that you're not using other antioxidant supplements or anything that might interfere with the study. You also shouldn't have any allergies to olives or prune/grape juice, and you should be okay with caffeine.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Are you 21 years old or older and live in the UK?
Do you get at least 2.5 hours of exercise or physical activity most weeks?
Do you weigh within a healthy range for your height (BMI between 18 and 30)?
Have you been generally healthy, with no major heart problems or diabetes?
Are you able to do cycling exercise without injury or pain?
Are you willing to avoid other antioxidant supplements during the study?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

If you decide to take part, the first step is a health questionnaire and a chat about the study. You'll also get to try out the exercise equipment. After that, you'll have three main visits to Anglia Ruskin University.

**Visit 1:** You'll do a fitness test on a stationary bike to check your maximal fitness level.

**Visit 2:** You'll do another test on the bike to find out your ‘fat max’ – this tells us the exercise intensity where your body burns the most fat. You'll also do a steady 30-minute exercise session at this intensity.

After this, you will either drink the OliPhenolia® olive extract or a placebo (dummy drink) for eight days. You won't know which one you're getting.

**Visit 3:** You'll come back for a follow-up fat-burning assessment, similar to Visit 2. On this day, before your exercise, you'll also be given either a caffeinated drink or a non-caffeinated drink to see how it affects fat burning. Your breath will be measured during exercise to see how much oxygen and carbon dioxide you're using, which helps us calculate fat burning. You'll be assigned to one of four groups that combine the olive drink (or placebo) and the caffeinated drink (or placebo).

Potential risks and benefits

By taking part, you'll be contributing to scientific understanding about how natural products can affect exercise and fat burning, which could indirectly benefit others in the future. You'll also receive detailed fitness and fat-burning assessments. Participation involves regular exercise, which is generally good for health, but there's a small risk of discomfort or injury during exercise tests, as with any physical activity. We will take all necessary precautions to ensure your safety. There is also the possibility of mild side effects from the drink or caffeine, though these are typically minor. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without it affecting your medical care.

Locations (1)

Some site locations are approximate. We're improving this — please verify with the trial team before travelling.

Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University,
Verified postcode
Cambridge, United Kingdom· Recruiting

Common questions

What is OliPhenolia®?

It's a natural drink made from olive fruit water, rich in antioxidants, produced by an organic farm in Italy.

What does 'fat oxidation' mean?

It's the scientific term for how your body burns fat for energy, especially during exercise.

Is caffeine dangerous?

The study uses a standard amount of caffeine, similar to what's found in coffee. We'll check if you're sensitive to caffeine before you start.

How long will I be in the study?

You'll have an initial screening, then three visits to the university, with an 8-day period of drinking the study product in between. The total duration will be a few weeks.

Will I know if I'm getting the real drink or the placebo?

No, this is a 'blinded' study, meaning neither you nor the researchers will know who is getting which product until after the study is finished. This helps keep the results fair.

How to find out more

Justin D Roberts, Professor

justin.roberts@aru.ac.uk 07794122020 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.