Exercise and Dietary Lifestyle Intervention on Reducing Atrial Fibrillation Burden, Cardiac and Body Fat Mass.
Effect of a Tailored Exercise and Dietary Lifestyle Intervention on Reducing Atrial Fibrillation Burden, Cardiac and Body Fat Mass in Overweight and Obese Patients. The MOVE-AF Ran-domized Clinical Trial
University of Eastern Finland
158 participants
Oct 30, 2025
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is strongly associated with obesity and excess body fat. Lifestyle interventions, including exercise and dietary modification, may reduce AF burden, but long-term randomized controlled trial evidence with objective AF burden assessment and advanced cardiac imaging is limited. The MOVE-AF trial is a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate whether a 12-month tailored exercise and dietary lifestyle intervention, compared with usual care, reduces atrial fibrillation burden and symptom severity and decreases cardiac and total body fat mass in overweight and obese adults with paroxysmal or persistent AF.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria6
- Age 18-75 years
- Body mass index (BMI) ≥27 kg/m²
- Documented atrial fibrillation (paroxysmal or persistent)
- Ability to participate in exercise training and follow study procedures
- Access to a smartphone or device enabling rhythm monitoring
- Provides written informed consent
Exclusion Criteria19
- Permanent atrial fibrillation
- Unstable angina pectoris or acute coronary syndrome within the past 3 months
- Participation in other lifestyle or drug weight reduction trials
- Significant left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction \<30%)
- Severe valvular heart disease or planned cardiac surgery
- Severe heart failure (NYHA class IV) or severe angina (CCS class IV)
- Unstable coronary artery disease or recent myocardial infarction
- Severe pulmonary disease limiting exercise capacity
- Active malignancy
- Autoimmune or systemic inflammatory diseases
- Severe renal or hepatic failure
- Memory disease or significant cognitive impairment
- Unstable psychiatric condition
- Recent joint or back surgery within the past 6 months
- Continuing back or joint pain symptoms and inability to take part in individualized exercise training
- Contraindications to exercise testing or training, including cardiac symptoms or cardiovascular symptoms, making exercise unsafe
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Participation in another interventional study
- Any condition judged by investigators to make participation unsafe or infeasible
Interventions
A 12-month tailored lifestyle program combining individualized aerobic exercise, muscle strength training, and dietary counseling. The program includes home-based aerobic training 2-5 times per week, muscle strength training, group-based dietary intervention sessions, and motivational support. The intervention is added to standard clinical care for atrial fibrillation.
Participants receive standard clinical care for atrial fibrillation according to the guideline-based routine practice at participating hospitals. No structured exercise or dietary lifestyle intervention is provided.
Locations(4)
View Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov
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NCT07430007