The Hertfordshire Physical Activity trial is a randomised controlled trial of the efficacy of aerobic exercise to reduce metabolic risk in healthy older people. Participants were recruited from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study, a population-based birth cohort of 3,000 individuals born between 1931 and 1939 and still residing in Hertfordshire, for whom birth weight data are available.

A total of 106 participants underwent detailed metabolic and anthropometric characterisation at baseline and follow up. This included an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), DEXA scan, abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound scan, liver and muscle spectroscopy and muscle biopsy. Objective measures of physical activity energy expenditure (Actiheart) and aerobic fitness (VO2max) were also acquired. Questionnaires were used to gather data relating to dietary patterns, physical activity (RPAQ), medication use and family history of diabetes. Additional blood samples were aliquoted and stored for future analyses.

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