Obesity Clinical Trials

Exercise is very important for living healthier and longer lives. For people with obesity and osteoarthritis, exercise is even more important because it can help them feel less pain in their joints. Also, the more intense the exercise is, the larger the health benefits will be. The most common ways to exercise are running and riding a stationary bicycle. However, these two types of exercise can cause problems for people with obesity and osteoarthritis. Fast running creates large loads in the knees because of the impact of the foot on the ground. On the other hand, studies in cycling show limited improvement in pain because cycling does not allow the feet to move freely, which is important for reducing pain in people with osteoarthritis. This study introduces a new way to exercise using a hip flexion feedback system (HFFS). The subjects will exercise by increasing how much they lift their knees while walking on treadmill. The exercise will also involve controlling the impact of the feet on the treadmill. The HFFS monitors the subject's heart rate during the exercise using a standard heart rate monitor. A TV placed in front of the treadmill shows how high individuals need to lift their knees. How much participants need to lift their knees is calculated by the HFFS based on real-time heart rate readings. Therefore, the HFFS can help people stay at a specific exercise intensity by controlling how high it tells them lift their knees during the exercise. This study will have participants with osteoarthritis and obesity in two groups. One group will exercise using the HFFS. Another group will not exercise. The exercise group will do a 12-week high intensity exercise program. Our first goal is to determine how much fitness, pain, and the ability to move improve due to the exercise program. With this study we are looking to introduce a better and safer way to exercise for people with osteoarthritis and obesity. The results of this study will also allow for further development of home-based exercise and telemedicine. Read Less

This will be a prospective, registry study of an investigational procedure for at least 12 standard of care visits up to 1 year after subject consents for study. Subjects will be enrolled between 8/1/2018 and 8/1/2023. Subjects will undergo a clinically indicated endoscopic procedure and subsequent follow up clinic visits as part of their standard medical care. Disclaimer: To undergo the procedure there is an out of pocket expense for $9000. Read Less

Exercise acutely increases gut permeability and inflammation, even in healthy populations. However, whether this response differs in groups at-risk for CVD that present with low-grade inflammation (e.g., normal-weight obesity) has yet to be examined. The investigators aim to measure serum indicators of gut permeability in those with normal-weight obesity pre- and post-short, intense exercise and sustained, moderate exercise Read Less

Approximately 20-40% of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) are obese. The investigators have demonstrated that obesity adversely impacts disease course in patients with UC, leading to higher risk of persistently active disease, surgery, hospitalization, and treatment failure, particularly in biologic-treated patients. Intentional weight loss is effective in improving disease outcomes in patients with inflammatory arthritis, but there is limited data on its impact in UC. While dietary interventions for weight loss have limited efficacy and endoscopic bariatric interventions may be too invasive in patients with UC with active gastrointestinal symptoms, pharmacological weight loss with a highly effective oral agent may be a novel strategy to induce weight loss and augment the efficacy of biologic therapy in UC. Hence, the investigators are conducting a pilot, phase 2A, 22-week, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of phentermine-topiramate in obese patients with active UC starting on a new biologic agent (infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, vedolizumab). The overall objective is to (1) evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of phentermine-topiramate, and (2) to assess the impact of pharmacological weight loss on clinical outcomes, inflammatory burden and biologic trough concentration in patients with UC. The central hypothesis is that phentermine-topiramate will be safe, effective, and well tolerated in patients with UC, and weight loss would achieve higher rates of clinical and biochemical remission, and higher biologic trough concentration. Read Less

This study is investigating the effect of different intensities of exercise on levels of the hormone, ghrelin. In addition, we will be examining the relationship between any exercise induced changes in ghrelin and insulin sensitivity, obesity, and vascular function. Read Less

Childhood obesity is a national epidemic that disproportionately burdens low income and ethnic minority populations. By preschool, nearly one-third of low income children are already overweight or obese, setting the stage for adverse health outcomes over their life course. Evidence is mounting that individual-focused, single-component interventions fail to produce long-term population-level changes in obesity-related outcomes. Evidence increasingly supports creating entire environments (e.g., schools) in which the healthy choice is the default option. The investigators will conduct a pragmatic cluster randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a multilevel (organization, teacher, parent, child) intervention to support healthy eating and physical activity in preschools. The study is being conducted in partnership with Child Care Resource Center (CCRC), a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all children receive high quality preschool experiences. The investigators will randomly assign 60 preschool sites (stratified by size), located in underserved areas of Los Angeles, to the intervention or a usual practice control conditions. The investigators will evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on child BMI z-scores (primary outcome) and parent-reported child nutrition and physical activity (secondary outcomes). The investigators will systematically examine the implementation process to understand factors that may facilitate or hinder intervention uptake and success. The findings from this work will be critical for informing future dissemination efforts. Read Less

Obesity is pro-inflammatory, impairs metabolism, and physically limiting. Specifically, muscle in obese persons does not synthesize proteins normally. This further increases metabolic and physical dysfunction. As such, obesity programs should not only focus on weight loss, but muscle metabolic health. Dairy nutrients have anti-inflammatory and anabolic properties, but mostly evaluated in isolation and/or pre-clinical designs. Also, it is unknown if the circulating benefits extend to the muscle. We hypothesize that dairy full-fat milk will improve these obesity characteristics. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare weight change and other related outcomes associated with three different behavioral weight loss interventions (STANDARD Behavioral, PREVENT, and PROMOTE) in adults with obesity. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Which of the three Internet-delivered weight loss programs results in the greatest weight loss? * How do key weight-related behaviors (e.g., adherence, diet, physical activity) differ across the arms? * What individual characteristics predict success in each arm? * What are the underlying mechanisms of each approach? * Are there any potential adverse outcomes associated with any of the conditions (e.g., depression, weight stigmatization, increased body image concerns). Participants will: * signed informed consent * complete a baseline assessment * be randomized to 12 months of either Standard iBWL, PREVENT or PROMOTE * complete a training workshop to learn arm-specific cognitive strategies * complete a 12-month Internet-delivered weight loss program, requiring self-monitoring of intake and exercise and viewing of 12 weekly lessons followed by 9 monthly lessons * complete an assessment at 3 months (during treatment) * complete a refresher workshop on arm-specific cognitive strategies at 3 months * complete an assessment at 6 months (during treatment), 12 months (at the conclusion of treatment), and 18 months (6 months after treatment Read Less

Adults attempting weight loss through lifestyle modification (LM) typically find maintenance of behavior change difficult. Outcomes might be improved if participants are provided with sustained sources of accountability and support and ongoing opportunities to reflect with others on goal progress. This study proposes that sharing digital data with other parties has the potential to improve long-term weight loss. The proposed study will enroll adults ("index participants") (N = 320) with overweight/obesity in a 24-month LM program and instruct them to use digital tools for self-monitoring of weight, physical activity, and eating on a daily basis. Read Less

The objective of this pilot study is to determine whether obesity and metabolic syndrome are in fact synergistic in relation to airway nitric oxide (NO) biology. To do so, the investigators want to determine how obesity and the metabolic syndrome relate to metabolism in bronchial airway epithelial cells and the nasal epithelium. Read Less