BATON ROUGE - After more than a year of halted progress, a study at Pennington Biomedical is ramping things up again.

“I think that this is very important that we still conduct the study despite the pandemic,” said Dr. Eric Ravussin, associate executive director of Clinical Research. 

The study, called MoTrPAC (Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium), looks at the effects of exercise on sedentary adults at a molecular level. The goal is to help doctors better understand what kind of exercise works for different body types. 

“You know, up to a few years ago, it was one size fits all. For example, exercise, we know it’s good for you, for your health in general. But there are some people who benefit a lot from exercise, and some don’t or not as much,” Dr. Ravussin said. 

Participants are randomly assigned into three groups: endurance training, resistance training and a control group that stays the same. Those in the resistance and endurance groups train with professionals three times a week. 

Researchers began conducting this study in September of 2019. But when the pandemic shut things down, progress came to a halt. Now, the original timeframe is up from five years to seven. 

“The study should be close to completion, but it’s going to be another two or three years," Dr. Ravussin said. 

Those who qualify include anyone over the age of 18 who does not exercise regularly and has a normal BMI. Click here for more information.