Active clinical trials for "Obesity"

The purpose of this study is to determine whether meal replacement, SlimWell ®, is effective in the treatment of obesity patients with metabolic syndrome.

Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced by bacterial fermentation of undigested starch in the gut. Butyrate carries out different effects at intestinal and extraintestinal level, including: immune regulation with anti-inflammatory effect at intestinal and systemic level and modulation of gut microbiota. Many of these effects result from an epigenetic mechanism. Shown in an animal model of obesity induced by a high fat diet (HFD), that butyrate can exercise very effective protective action against obesity through the stimulation of intestinal satiety hormones. Shown always in murine model of obesity induced by HFD, that butyrate is effective in preventing and treating obesity and insulin resistance. After 5 weeks of treatment with butyrate was observed a reduction of 10.2% of body weight, 30% of fasting glucose and 50% insulin resistance. In an animal model of metabolic syndrome with NAFLD researchers have recently demonstrated that the administration of butyrate is able to significantly reduce insulin resistance, liver damage, dyslipidaemia through a modulation of the inflammatory process. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies in humans show that the oral administration of butyrate is safe and well tolerated. The peak serum levels occurs 4-6 hours after oral administration. All of these data makes plausible a possible positive effect on insulin resistance in the obese child.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of left gastric artery embolization(bariatric arterial embolization) for morbid obesity. When the target vessel is blocked, some of the body's signals for feeling hungry will be suppressed and lead to weight loss. Although there are many ways to treat morbid obesity, surgery is currently the only effective method to be confirmed. But surgical treatment is likely to carry a high risk of treatment-related complications, such as fistula or intestinal obstruction, etc. This study is designed to help treat obesity using a method of transvascular interventional therapy, which is minimally invasive and non-surgical.

To determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for obesity and overweight people in China.

The purpose of this clinical trial is to examine the effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) vs metformin along with an intervention program with healthy habits on body composition, weight, M value in CLAMP and clinical laboratory values, as well as molecular and genetic changes in obese children. Patients from the pediatric service of the Hospital from 8 to 18 years old with a body mass index ≥ Pc 95 and 35kg/m2 are randomized to either interventional group for 4 months.

It is well established that bariatric (weightloss) surgery affords considerable improvement in glycaemic control (control of blood sugar), and in many cases may lead to a complete resolution of type 2 diabetes. However, the mechanisms underlying these changes are yet to be elucidated and no research project to date has attempted to characterise changes in glycaemic control sooner than 3 days post surgery. The primary objective of this study is to characterise changes in glycaemic control in individuals immediately following such surgery for a period of five days. Participants will be fitted with a continuous blood glucose measurement system (CGMS) prior to leaving theatre, which electronically records their blood glucose concentration every minute for up to five days. Upon returning the device each participant will undergo a standard meal test and have a small blood sample taken at 30 minute intervals (0-120 minutes) for the quantification of incretins (gut hormones involved in medium term control of blood sugar) insulin, glucose and appetite hormones. These measurements will be compared to those collected at the baseline session, three weeks prior to the patient's surgery. Additional baseline visit measurements include: fasting lipid profile, insulin concentration, blood glucose concentration, HBA1C (long term blood glucose measurement), blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference, and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and medical and family history. All patients will be followed up twelve weeks post surgery, during which, all baseline measurements will be repeated.

Standard weight-based IV heparin for normal weight patients is based on actual body weight (ABW). However, no well-defined guidelines have been established for patients considered to be obese or morbidly obese. In current practice, the calculated ABW based heparin initial bolus dose and infusion rates are quite high, and therefore often not used for obese/morbidly obese patients for fear of bleeding. Heparin is distributed in the body approximately the same as blood and does not get distributed to adipose tissue. There are some studies suggesting that lean body weight (LBW) might be a better basis for dosing heparin. LBW is a calculated weight that excludes the weight of fat. The investigators hypothesize that intravenous heparin dosing based on the Lean body weight of obese/morbidly obese patients would be safe and effective in achieving a therapeutic level of heparin in 24 hours compared to the usual practice in this patient population.

The study evaluated the safety and efficacy of the vBloc Therapy delivered by the Maestro Rechargeable System compared to a sham control for the treatment obesity. The Maestro Rechargeable System delivers intermittent, electrical blocking signals to the anterior and posterior trunks of the intra-abdominal vagus nerve (termed vBloc Therapy) and is designed to reduce sensations of hunger and produce satiety leading to weight loss. After approval from the institutional review board, subjects provided written consent and were randomized in a 2 to 1 allocation to vBloc group (with laparoscopic placement of the leads and neuroregulator) or the sham group (placement of a custom sham neuroregulator only) on double-blinded basis. Both groups received similar diet and exercise counseling. Weight, adverse events, clinical laboratories, ECGs, eating questionnaires and quality of life data were evaluated throughout the 12 month study duration.

Background: - Melanocortin receptors are proteins in the body that help send messages between body systems. One such receptor, the melanocortin 3 receptor (MC3R), is important for regulating body weight. Differences in MC3R can affect fat metabolism - or how the body handles fat. Some people who have changes in the MC3R genetic code are heavier than those who do not have these changes. These changes are found more often in African Americans. Researchers want to study the MC3R in African American adults to see how these changes may affect fat metabolism. They will look at overweight adults with either the most common genetic code for the MC3R or a rare variant. Objectives: - To study the role of the MC3R in body weight and fat metabolism. Eligibility: Healthy African American volunteers between 18 and 55 years of age. Volunteers must be overweight (body mass index at least 30 kg/m2) but weigh less than 450 lbs. Design: The study consists of an outpatient screening visit and a 7-day inpatient visit with dietary studies. Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. Blood samples will be collected. (Participants will need to fast for 10 hours before giving blood samples.) A body scan will be given to determine fat, bone, and muscle content. Participants will complete a 3-day dietary assessment to record their food and drink consumption. They will also have an exercise test to look at heart and lung function. Participants will have a 7-day inpatient stay. They will have a regular diet for the first 3 days of the study. For the final 4 days, they will have a diet with a higher fat content. During the inpatient visit, participants will have the following study procedures: Body measurements Daily exercise routine Imaging studies of the body Measurement of a whole day s energy expenditure (spending one day in metabolic chamber-day 5) Frequent blood samples Urine collection for 24 hours (days 3 and 7) Fat biopsy (collection of a small sample of fat tissue from under the skin on the abdomen) Insulin and metabolism tests while eating the two different diets (day 4 and day 7). After the final insulin and metabolism test, participants will be discharged from the study.

The main objective of this post-market surveillance study is to compare the subject's weight loss and quality of life, and device safety performance of the abiliti System and the adjustable gastric banding therapies in obese to morbidly obese subjects.