Obesity Clinical Trials

A promising approach to correct the metabolic dysfunction associated with obesity is to activate brown fat non-shivering thermogenesis (NST). A critical limitation with NST as a therapeutic option, however, is that this beneficial process is silenced under human physiological temperature conditions and the mechanisms of how this occurs is unknown. This study will be the first to identify human NST silencing factors that may be targeted for the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders. Read Less

The purpose of this research study is to study the effects of endurance exercise training on adipose (fat) tissue quality and insulin sensitivity in men and women. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness of an evidence-based multi-level intervention for weight loss and the feasibility, fidelity, and sustainability of implementing the intervention in low-income and underserved people living with obesity in Louisiana. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Will an evidence-based multi-level obesity intervention (called LA-CEAL CONNECT) in adults living with obesity in low-income and underserved communities achieve weight loss at 6 months compared to enhanced usual care? * Will LA-CEAL CONNECT sustain weight loss at 12 months? * Will LA-CEAL CONNECT improve waist circumference, diet quality, physical activity, quality of life, and blood pressure at 6 and 12 months? * Will LA-CEAL CONNECT be feasible to implement in adults living with obesity in low-income and underserved communities? Researchers will compare the LA-CEAL CONNECT multilevel weight loss intervention to enhanced usual care to evaluate if LA-CEAL CONNECT leads to greater weight loss and greater changes in waist circumference, diet, physical activity, quality of life, and blood pressure than enhanced usual care. Participants in both arms will: * Receive health literacy-tailored educational materials and resources for weight loss * Visit the clinic site for baseline, 6-month and 12-month study visits to collect clinical and survey measurements Participants in the CONNECT intervention arm will also: * receive health coaching * self-monitor weight and physical activity using digital technologies * attend group meetings to identify and increase utilization of community health and wellness resources Read Less

The objective of the proposed double-blind, parallel-arm, randomized clinical trial is to evaluate changes in body weight and composition, assess determinants of energy balance (intake and expenditure), and measure modulators of energy balance, following 8 wk of calorie restriction (-500 kcal/d) in combination with either overnight exposure to normobaric hypoxia (8 h/night, 15% FiO2, \~2640 m) or normoxia (8 h/night, 21% FiO2), using a commercially available, in-home tent system, in adults with obesity. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether semaglutide, an FDA-approved treatment for diabetes and obesity, is feasible and tolerable in patients with advanced lung disease. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: 1. Are patients with advanced lung disease able to tolerate semaglutide therapy? 2. Are we able to titrate semaglutide therapy to a target weight? Participants will be asked to perform pulmonary function, physical function and body composition testing, as well as a blood draw before and after 12-weeks of semaglutide therapy. While on therapy, subjects will be surveyed regarding any adverse events or side effects. Read Less

More than 84 million - or 1 out of every 3 U.S. adults - have prediabetes, a condition that if not treated often leads to type 2 diabetes within five years. Average medical expenditures among diabetics are about 2.3 times higher than expenditures for people without diabetes. Physical inactivity and elevated body mass index (BMI) are major risk factors for the disease. Sedentary behavior is becoming increasingly prevalent with the growth of a 'work from home' culture, most recently driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional epidemiologic data report significant associations between high amounts of sedentary (sitting) time and prevalent cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In our pilot study of 15 subjects with sedentary office jobs, 6 months of sit-stand desk use resulted in a 23% improvement in insulin resistance, most substantial in those who decreased daily sitting by over 90 minutes/day. Additional improvements in vascular endothelial function and triglyceride levels were seen without any change in exercise activity, step counts, or body weight. These findings not only corroborate epidemiologic findings on this topic but suggest causality and warrant a randomized control trial. The investigators hypothesize that adult subjects at-risk for diabetes will improve insulin sensitivity, metabolic and vascular (endothelial) health with a sit-stand desk intervention at work (whether in the office or at home), in the context of a randomized, controlled trial. The investigators will randomize 198 sedentary office workers with a BMI≥25 at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus in a 1:1:1 ratio of three groups: (a) sit-stand desk intervention targeting 2 hours standing per day; (b) sit-stand desk intervention targeting 3 hours standing per day; or (c) control arm over 6 months. The block randomization design will allow for important dose-response analyses. The investigators will objectively quantify standing time, sedentary time, sedentary bouts, daily steps, and exercise activity times using a compact and re-usable accelerometer that adheres to the subject's thigh. This will provide objective assessments of activity levels and sedentary times for 7 full days each at baseline, 3 and 6 months. The device is equipped with an inclinometer to classify posture (sitting verses standing). Read Less

The purpose of this study is to compare the metabolic responses to low-carbohydrate and standard-carbohydrate meals in African Americans and non-Hispanic White adults with obesity and the effect of weight loss induced by low-calorie diet (LCD) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on the metabolic responses to low-carbohydrate and standard meals. Participants will consume: 1) a standard-carbohydrate meal (\~49 g glucose) and 2) a low-carbohydrate (\~3.4 g glucose) meal on separate study visits performed in a randomized order. We will evaluate the meals' effect before and after \~16-18% weight loss on postprandial i) insulin kinetics, ii) glucose kinetics iii) β-cell function; iv) plasma triglyceride and non-esterified fatty acid concentrations; v) plasma hormone concentrations; vi) plasma cytokine concentrations; vi) plasma metabolomics; and vii) adipose tissue transcriptomics. Read Less

Background: About 40 percent of adults and 20 percent of adolescents in the U.S. have a body mass index over 30 kg/m2. Being overweight may lead to a state of low-level inflammation. This may cause health problems. Researchers want to see if an anti-inflammatory medicine can help. Objective: To learn if colchicine can improve metabolism in people who have high body weight, increased inflammation, and high insulin in the blood but who have not yet developed high blood sugar. Eligibility: People aged 12 and older with high body weight who may have increased inflammation and high insulin in the blood. Healthy adult volunteers are also needed. Design: Participants will be screened with the following: Medical history Physical exam Fasting blood tests Urine tests Electrocardiogram Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (They will lie on a table while a camera passes over their body.) Stool sample and 24-hour food diary (optional) Participants will have 3 study visits and 3 phone check-ins. At visits, they will repeat some screening tests. Healthy volunteers will have the baseline visit only. They will not get the study drug. At the baseline visit, participants will have an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). For this, they will drink a sweet liquid and then give blood samples. They will get a 12-week supply of the study drug or placebo to take daily by mouth. Participants will have study visits 6 weeks and 12 weeks after they started taking the study drug. At the 12-week visit, they will repeat the OGTT. Participation will last for 3 (Omega) to 4 months. ... Read Less

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of a family-based digital (web and mobile phone-based) program known as Healthy Together ("Juntos") in preventing increases in body mass index and improving moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, diet quality, and percentage body fat among Hispanic adolescents. Read Less

Patients receiving acyclovir as standard of care will be enrolled into this study. The currently recommended dosing strategy at our institution for obese patients is to receive intravenous acyclovir dosed per an adjusted body weight \[IBW + 0.4(TBW-IBW)\]. They will have blood drawn once prior to the first dose of acyclovir and 10 times thereafter, over a total time period of 12 hours. These patients will already be hospitalized for other reasons, and will not be required to make additional trips to the hospital. A total of approximately 4-5 tablespoons of blood will be drawn for this study. Ten obese patients and 10 matched control (non-obese) patients will be enrolled. Read Less

Socioceconomically disadvantaged individuals typically have poor outcomes in behavioral weight loss interventions, but the reasons for this are unknown. This project will characterize the mechanisms through which adverse daily experiences and present bias -- a cognitive adaptation to harsh and unpredictable environments -- account for disparities in weight loss outcomes. Read Less

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to test the efficacy of a fully digital intervention, combining the Lumen problem-solving therapy virtual coach for depression management with the Diabetes Prevention Program video-based program for weight loss, among racial and ethnic minorities with comorbid depression and obesity. The study aims include: * Determine the efficacy of the vCare intervention at 6 months. Primary outcomes are weight and depression symptom checklist 20-item (SCL-20) score. * Identify predictors of treatment success, defined by achieving clinically significant weight loss (5%) and depression outcomes (50% decline or SCL-20\<0.5), at 6 and 12 months. * Characterize participant experiences and perceptions of the vCare intervention. Eligible participants will be randomized to the early-intervention arm who will receive active treatment for 6 months, followed by maintenance for another 6 months, or the later-intervention arm who will be waitlisted for 6 months and then receive active treatment in the second 6 months. Read Less