Completed

Diet and Exercise for Elevated Risk (DEER)

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What is being tested

Data Collection

Who is being recruted

Cardiovascular Diseases
+4

+ Heart Diseases
+ Hypercholesterolemia
From 30 to 64 Years
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Prevention Study

Phase 3
Interventional
Study Start: August 1991
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorStanford University
Last updated: January 18, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner
Study start date: August 1, 1991Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

BACKGROUND: The NCEP is a major public education program providing advice to physicians and the public on management and prevention of coronary heart disease. However, data supporting the advice are derived primarily from middle-aged men, with less data available for women and older individuals. Furthermore, there have been recent reports that when low saturated fat diets such as the NCEP Step One and NCEP Step Two diets, are followed, HDL-cholesterol is lowered as well as LDL-cholesterol. DESIGN NARRATIVE: Randomized, controlled, factorial design powered for men and women separately. One hundred eighty postmenopausal women, 45 through 64 years of age, and 197 men, 30 through 64 years of age, who had low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (< or =59 mg per deciliter in women and < or =44 mg per deciliter in men) and moderately elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (>125 mg per deciliter but <210 mg per deciliter in women and >125 mg per deciliter but <190 mg per deciliter in men) were enrolled. The subjects were randomly assigned to aerobic exercise, the NCEP Step 2 diet, or diet plus exercise, or to a control group, which received no intervention. The four interventions were delivered for one year: usual care (written dietary materials only with delayed intervention optional), exercise only (supervised, progressive aerobic exercise program at least three times per week), diet only (group and individual dietary instruction on the NCEP Step One/Step Two diet delivered by registered dietitians), and diet plus exercise. At baseline and at the end of one year, measurements were made of blood lipids and lipoproteins, plasma glucose and insulin, glucose tolerance, blood pressure, body composition through hydrostatic weighing and waist and hip circumterences, aerobic fitness (VO2 max), and five unannounced 24-hr. recalls. The primary outcomes measured was HDL-cholesterol, major secondary endpoints included LDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, and triglycerides.

Official TitleDiet and Exercise for Elevated Risk (DEER) 
NCT00000598
Principal SponsorStanford University
Last updated: January 18, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Prevention Study
Prevention studies aim to stop a disease from developing. They often involve people at risk and test things like vaccines, lifestyle changes, or preventive medications.

How participants are assigned to different groups/arms
In this clinical study, participants are placed into groups randomly, like flipping a coin. This ensures that the study is fair and unbiased, making the results more reliable. By assigning participants by chance, researchers can better compare treatments without external influences.

Other Ways to Assign Participants
Non-randomized allocation: Participants are assigned based on specific factors, such as their medical condition or a doctor's decision.
None (Single-arm trial): If the study has only one group, all participants receive the same treatment, and no allocation is needed.

How treatments are given to participants
Participants receive different combinations of treatments to see how they work together. This approach helps researchers determine whether a combination of treatments is more effective than a single treatment alone.

Other Ways to Assign Treatments
Single-group assignment: Everyone gets the same treatment.
Parallel assignment: Participants are split into separate groups, each receiving a different treatment.
Cross-over assignment: Participants switch between treatments during the study.
Sequential assignment: Participants receive treatments one after another in a specific order, possibly based on individual responses.
Other assignment: Treatment assignment does not follow a standard or predefined design.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria
Any sexBiological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.
From 30 to 64 YearsRange of ages for which participants are eligible to join.
Healthy volunteers not allowedIf individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.
Conditions
Pathology
Cardiovascular Diseases
Heart Diseases
Hypercholesterolemia
Hyperlipidemias
Metabolic Diseases
Dyslipidemias
Lipid Metabolism Disorders
Criteria

Men with with LDL-cholesterol of 125-189 mg/dL and HDL-cholesterol below or equal to 44 mg/dL, and postmenopausal women, age 45 to 64, with LDL-cholesterol of 125 to 209 mg/dL and HDL-cholesterol below or equal to 59 mg/dL.

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.
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CompletedNo study centers
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