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Obesity clinical trials at University of California Health

68 in progress, 39 open to eligible people

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  • Daily Oral Orforglipron (LY3502970) Compared With Insulin Glargine in Participants With Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity or Overweight at Increased Cardiovascular Risk

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    The main purpose of this study is to determine safety and efficacy of orforglipron compared with insulin glargine in participants with type 2 diabetes and obesity or overweight at increased cardiovascular risk. The study will last approximately 2 years may include up to 27 visits.

    at UCLA

  • See if an iPhone Weight Management App Can Help Promote Weight Loss in Adolescents and Young Adults After a Stem Cell Transplant

    open to eligible people ages 13-30

    This early phase I trial studies how well a behavioral weight loss intervention consisting of a smartphone application and coaching works for the promotion of weight loss in adolescents and young adults after a stem cell transplant. This study may help researchers learn more about how adolescents and young adults can lose weight and develop healthy eating habits.

    at UCLA

  • Obesity in Early Care and Education Settings

    open to eligible people ages 30 months and up

    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.

    at UCLA

  • Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention Utilizing Mobile Health Technology in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients

    open to eligible people ages 13-30

    Pilot study enrolling obese post HSCT (hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) patients at the hematology/oncology clinic at the Mattel Children's Hospital, University of California, Los Angeles. Parameters include percent over the 95th percentile (%BMIp95), zBMI, fasting metabolic metrics, addictive eating habits, and motivation for change.

    at UCLA

  • Caloric Restriction and Activity to Reduce Chemoresistance in B-ALL

    open to eligible people ages 10-25

    This study is for older children, adolescents, and young adults with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL). Higher amounts of body fat is associated with resistance to chemotherapy in patients with B-ALL. Chemotherapy during the first month causes large gains in body fat in most people, even those who start chemotherapy at a healthy weight. This study is being done to find out if caloric restriction achieved by a personalized nutritional menu and exercise plan during routine chemotherapy can make the patient's ALL more sensitive to chemotherapy and also reduce the amount of body fat gained during treatment. The goals of this study are to help make chemotherapy more effective in treating the patient's leukemia as demonstrated by fewer patients with leukemia minimal residual disease (MRD) while also trying to reduce the amount of body fat that chemotherapy causes the patient to gain in the first month.

    at UCSF

  • Childcare Healthy Beverage Access, Food and Beverage Intake, and Obesity

    open to eligible people ages 2-105

    Interventions that promote water consumption in place of sugar-sweetened beverages have shown promise for preventing childhood obesity in schoolchildren. Yet to date, no studies have examined whether applying this approach in childcare centers could help to prevent childhood obesity at an even earlier stage of development. This cluster-randomized controlled trial will fill gaps by examining how a multilevel childcare-based healthy beverage intervention affects young children's consumption of beverages and obesity.

    at UCSF

  • Daily Habits & Consumer Preferences Study

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    The study will use a between-subjects design in a sample of individuals with BMI greater than or equal to 28 from the Los Angeles community (N=330). Participants will be randomly assigned to a weight stigma vs. control manipulation. Changes to the following health behaviors will be subsequently measured in their everyday lives: 3-day diet as captured by ecological momentary assessment (EMA) food diaries, objectively measured eating of obesogenic foods, objectively measured physical activity captured by 24-hour actigraphy, and sleep, captured objectively by overnight actigraphy and subjectively self-reported sleep measures. The investigators hypothesize that weight stigma causes decrements in health behaviors (e.g., sleep, eating, and physical activity) in everyday life.

    at UCLA UCSF

  • Diet and Depression

    open to eligible people ages 18-70

    This study is a pilot open label crossover trial to assess the feasibility and acceptability of reducing ultra- processed foods (UPF) in a personalized manner from the diets of patients with major depressive disorder who eat a large percentage of UPF.

    at UCSF

  • Dissemination and Implementation of the Bright Bodies Intervention for Childhood Obesity

    open to eligible people ages 7-13

    This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the Bright Bodies intervention in improving body mass index (BMI) among 7-13 year-old children with obesity simultaneously with the impact of the implementation strategy on adoption, reach, fidelity, cost, and maintenance of the intervention in three heterogenous settings serving patients disproportionately affected by obesity.

    at UCSF

  • Metformin, a Drug Used to Treat Diabetes, vs Placebo

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    Metformin is a drug used to treat patients with diabetes. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of Metformin along with a low-calorie diet on obese and/or overweight adults with an increased waist measurement. In addition, the study also aims to look at the effect of the drug vs. placebo on quality of life and physical activity.

    at UCLA

  • Negative Affect in Individuals With Binge Eating Episodes

    open to eligible people ages 18-55

    Binge-eating is characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of - typically high calorie - foods, eating much more rapidly than normal and until feeling uncomfortably full, as well as feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or guilty after those episodes. Two eating disorders are characterized by binge-eating as central diagnostic criteria, binge-eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Binge-eating episodes in BN, but not BED, are typically followed by compensatory mechanisms such as self-induced vomiting, and BED is typically associated with obesity, while BN is not. Behavior studies such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA) research of affect in an individual's naturalistic environment have shown that negative affect and negative urgency (the tendency to act rashly when distressed) often precede binge-eating. The Investigators want to answer the following questions: Can negative affect in BN and BED be linked to 1) altered dopamine related brain reinforcement learning, 2) to food value computation and cognitive control circuit function, and 3) can dopamine related brain activation predict eating and negative affect, indicating a brain based neurobiological vulnerability. Answering those questions will help to define binge-eating based on regulation of brain reward, cognition, and emotion circuit function and point toward potential psychopharmacological interventions to normalize brain function and behavior.

    at UCSD

  • Ph 2A, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Dose Escalation Study of Safety, Tolerability, PD, & PK of HU6 for Subjects With Obese HFpEF

    open to eligible people ages 40 years and up

    This is a Phase 2A, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, double-blind, within subject dose escalation trial with 3 dose levels of HU6 and placebo. Subjects will be randomized (1:1) either to HU6 or placebo. Two dose levels will be administered in sequential order (150 mg daily followed by 300 mg daily), each for 20 days, to reach the third and highest dose of 450 mg daily if safety and tolerability are demonstrated at the lower 2 preceding doses. Administration of the 450 mg high dose will continue for a total of 94 days, with a safety follow-up visit within ~14 days of the last dose.

    at UCLA

  • Families, Responsibility, Education, Support, and Health for Executive Function

    open to eligible people ages 8-12

    The pilot study will be a one group open-label treatment program and will be used to refine a parent-based behavioral treatment enhanced with executive-function training (PBT-EF) for children with comorbid overweight or obesity and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

    at UCSD

  • Family Functioning in Obesity Treatment for Mexican Americans

    open to eligible females ages 18-65

    Mexican American families share similar elevated risks for obesity and obesity-related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. Because negative family interactions and relationships (e.g., poor communication, high conflict, low emotional closeness) are associated with obesity treatment outcomes, this study tests a behavioral weight management intervention that provides relationship skills counseling to mothers and adult daughters. The goal is to improve family interaction patterns to buffer challenges and strengthen collaboration for eating and physical activity behaviors that support long-term weight management and thus provide an effective obesity treatment approach to address a major public health concern.

    at UCSD

  • Family Intervention to Prevent Childhood Obesity

    open to eligible people ages 2 years and up

    Consumption of sweetened beverages, media-viewing, and physical activity patterns are often established during early childhood, and family-based obesity interventions show effectiveness in shaping healthy behaviors and weight outcomes for young children, including Latino children. Missing from these interventions, however, are methods to increase accessibility and dissemination to multiple family caregivers. The proposed work will use a randomized study design to evaluate the impact a family-based early childhood obesity intervention for Latino families that incorporates evidence-based strategies of in-person childhood obesity interventions, mobile phones, and leverages important determinants of Latino health (e.g. familism, language) in order to decrease ethnic disparities in childhood obesity and cardiovascular risk.

    at UCLA

  • Family, Responsibility, Education, Support, and Health for Families With a Child With Autism

    open to eligible people ages 6-12

    The objective of this proposed study is to collect initial efficacy data on a telehealth parent-based behavioral program for children with autism and overweight or obesity (PBT-A), compared with health education (HE).

    at UCSD

  • Family, Responsibility, Education, Support, and Health for Food Responsiveness

    open to eligible people ages 7-12

    The objective of this proposed study is to compare Regulation of Cues (ROC), Family-Based Treatment (FBT), ROC+ nutrition education and reducing energy intake (ROC+) and a health education comparator (HE) for children with overweight or obesity who are high on food responsiveness (FR).

    at UCSD

  • Family, Responsibility, Education, Support, and Health for Latino Caregivers (FRESH-LC)

    open to eligible people ages 5-12

    The objective of this proposed study is to collect initial efficacy data on a telehealth family-based behavioral program for Latino children with overweight or obesity, which also includes additional caregiver support (PBT-AC), compared with health education (HE).

    at UCSD

  • Feasibility and Colorectal Benefits of Pulses Supplementation

    open to eligible people ages 35-75

    Beans are a forgotten staple food that shows promise in improving health. The goal of this study is to look at how bean supplementation affects metabolic and bowel health. In the long-term, the investigators believe this research will lead to a better understanding of the impact of beans on bowel health. The investigators also hope that this research study will help us understand ways to improve human diet and prevent colon cancer in the future.

    at UC Davis

  • Gastric Sleeve-Induced Weight Loss on Shortness of Breath in Obesity

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    Most research to date on bariatric surgery outcomes has been about metabolic syndrome, a disorder very effectively treated by bariatric surgery. However, obesity is also associated with many other problems that have received much less attention. Amongst the most troubling of these for patients is dyspnea. Dyspnea results in substantial patient distress that can greatly reduce health-related quality of life. Little is known about the relationship between dyspnea, weight loss, and bariatric surgery. Dyspnea is a complex symptom that may lead to adaptive responses, such as the need to rest as a consequence of even minimal activity or seeking medical attention. The main outcome of the study will be measured using a new state-of-the-science validated HRQOL measure, the Patient Reported Outcome Measuring Information System for Heart Failure (PROMIS+HF 27).

    at UCLA

  • Healing Experiences of Adversity Among Latinos (HEALthy4You)

    open to eligible people ages 5-11

    Healing Experiences of Adversity Among Latinos (HEALthy4You) is a project funded by the California Initiative for the Advancement of Precision Medicine ("Advancing a Precision Population Health Approach to ACEs to Reduce Health Disparities"). The long-term goal of this project is to develop community-centered, culturally Appropriate, precision Interventions that can be delivered within Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers (FQHCs) for Latino Families, to reduce Adverse Child Events (ACES) risks and treat childhood obesity. UCSD in conjunction with Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) will conduct a 2x2 factorial trial with four groups meant to determine what combination of intervention components influence family protective factors (a key marker for reduced risk of the deleterious effects of systemic and family/individual stressors that are a critical part of ACEs) and childhood obesity.

    at UCSD

  • Influence of Honey-flavored Yogurt on Low-grade Inflammation and Gut Health in Middle to Older Aged Women.

    “We are inviting women to participate in a research study to test the health benefits of honey-flavored yogurt!”

    open to eligible females ages 45-65

    A randomized, double-blind, crossover dietary intervention trial will test the effects of 4 weeks of daily honey-flavored yogurt intake on markers of inflammation (Th17 cytokines) and oxidative stress (NOX2, UA, RSNO) and associative changes with microbial derived metabolites (SCFAs, BAs, ellagitannins), metabolism and the fecal microbiome. The above suite of selected markers will capture diet-induced systemic changes in inflammation and oxidative stress, while assessing associated microbial changes.

    at UC Davis

  • Metabolic and Bio-behavioral Effects of Following Recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans

    open to eligible females ages 35-64

    This study, at the Western Human Nutrition Research Center (WHNRC), will focus on whether or not achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight is the most important health promoting recommendation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).The investigators hypothesize that improvement in cardiometabolic risk factors resulting from eating a DGA style diet will be greater in people whose energy intake is restricted to result in weight loss compared to those who maintain their weight. The investigators further propose that during a state of energy restriction, a higher nutrient quality diet such as the DGA style diet pattern, will result in greater improvement in cardiometabolic risk factors compared to a typical American diet (TAD) pattern that tends to be lower nutrient quality (more energy-dense and less nutrient-rich.)

    at UC Davis

  • Metabolic Health Improvement Program: Effects of a Workplace Sugary Beverages Sales Ban and Motivational Counseling

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    The purpose of the study is to test the impact of a multilevel workplace intervention (hospital-wide sales ban on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and individual-level brief counseling) on employee health.

    at UCSF

  • Multimodal Analgesia Effect on Post Surgical Patient

    open to eligible females ages 35-65

    Patients undergoing Bariatric Surgery at the University of California Davis Medical Center will be divided into two groups, one receiving Standard of Care pain control medications vs the second group which will receive non-narcotic pain medications with rescue pain medications available if needed

    at UC Davis

  • Pharmacologic Weight Loss as Adjunct Therapy for Ulcerative Colitis in Obese Patients

    open to eligible people ages 18-80

    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.

    at UCSD

  • Pharmacotherapy in Conjunction With Lifestyle Counseling for Management of Weight Regain After Bariatric Surgery

    open to eligible people ages 18-70

    This is a randomized controlled trial employing a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) design to test whether pharmacotherapy, in conjunction with lifestyle counseling, can reverse weight regain after bariatric surgery.

    at UC Irvine

  • Probiotic Intervention Study

    open to eligible people ages 18-50

    The current standard of care for obesity is the optimal management of comorbid conditions such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia, and counseling on diet, weight loss, or increased physical activity programs. However, lifestyle, diet, and behavioral interventions may provide between 7-10% reduction in initial weight and even fewer with long-term weight loss. In severely obese patients (BMI>40 or BMI>35 with comorbidities), bariatric surgery is also a potential treatment, but there is a high barrier for patients to undergo surgery for weight loss. These barriers include an aversion to major abdominal surgery, long recovery time, potential risk of vitamin deficiency, and risk for abdominal pain. For these reasons, there is a paramount need for other treatments for obesity and for food addiction. The current standard of care for obesity and food addiction is difficult to implement and lacks sustained efficacy. Most struggle to complete treatment, lose minimal weight, lack sustained weight loss, and engage in the well-known "YoYo" diet phenomenon. While bariatric surgery is currently the only effective treatment for obesity, there are several barriers associated with it such as eligibility requirements, invasiveness, difficult recovery, and cost making it not readily available for everyone. Some approved medications that help with obesity, such as orlistat, lorcaserin, or naltrexone-bupropion, have not been widely adopted by providers or patients due to their limited responses and adverse side effects. Probiotic cocktails have shown to be safe with little to no side effects. Preclinical models of probiotics demonstrate the ability to curb obesity in animal models. Therefore, a probiotic that is able to show significant weight loss along with lifestyle modifications would be highly adopted and desirable.

    at UCLA

  • Project 1: Diet and Exercise Modulate the Sperm Epigenome in Men

    open to eligible males ages 18-40

    This is a rigorous, controlled clinical trial designed to show that diet, exercise training, and their combination in overweight, inactive men will alter epigenetic programming to create a "healthy" sperm epigenome. Our central hypotheses are: i) overweight and inactive lifestyle results in epimutations in the sperm epigenome relative to the normal epigenetic programming in lean and active men and ii) diet and exercise modulation leads to reversal of these epimutations resulting in both a healthier "phenotype" and "epigenotype" which may persist after stopping the interventions. The study is divided into three parts: 1. We will recruit 20 healthy, active men and 20 obese and inactive Hispanic men between 18 and 40 years to determine the differences in sperm epigenome (DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs) in a cross-sectional study in obese inactive vs. healthy active Hispanic men. Only Hispanic men will be studied because of the high prevalence of obesity and inactivity in Hispanic younger men and to reduce the genetic variability influencing the epigenome. 2. 80 obese and inactive men will be randomized to 4 groups of 20 men: 1) No intervention (control); 2) Low fat, low caloric diet; 3) Supervised, periodized endurance and resistance training without modification of diet; and 4) Both exercise and diet modification to characterize the plasticity of the sperm epigenome in response to 12-week diet and/or exercise training interventions in obese and inactive Hispanic men. Sperm epimutations will be compared before and after intervention within each group and between groups. 3. The sperm epigenome studies in 80 men randomized to no intervention or diet and/or exercise training will be repeated at 12 and 36 weeks after cessation of interventions to Identify the persistent effects of diet and exercise training on the sperm epigenome after stopping the interventions.

    at UCLA

  • Semaglutide Treatment in the Real-world for Fibrosis Due to NAFLD in Obesity and T2DM

    open to eligible people ages 40-79

    Conduct a community intervention study that will 1) validate a screening approach to identify patients at risk for advanced NAFLD in the obese or T2DM population, and 2) test whether semaglutide treatment is effective for the management of significant fibrosis due to NAFLD in high-risk patients.

    at UCSD

  • Solutions for Hunger And Regulating Eating

    open to eligible people ages 18-65

    The objective of this proposed study is to collect efficacy data on ROC+ compared to an active comparator (AC) and to Behavioral Weight Loss (BWL) for participants who are high in Food Responsiveness.

    at UCSD

  • Teaching Kitchen Multisite Trial

    open to eligible people ages 25-70

    This TK-MT is an interactive year-long program that teaches culinary skills, nutrition education, mindfulness, and stress reduction, promotes movement, and optimizes behavior change through health coaching strategies. The purpose of this study is to test whether a referral-based teaching kitchen intervention offered for 12 months in adjunct to primary care obesity management is feasible, acceptable, and effective on improving health behaviors and obesity prevention. Specifically, the primary goal of the study is to provide evidence of improved behavior change (ex: increases in cooking at home, fruit and vegetable intake, exercise, sleep, mindful activities), improved lab values (ex: fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.), and resulting change in body weight and waist circumference measures. The hypothesis is that by participating in this novel TK-MT intervention - learning to cook healthy, delicious, inexpensive meals at home; understanding principles of good nutrition (based on the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate); incorporating exercise more effectively into daily living; reducing stress and increasing mindfulness and sleep; and, having access to principles of health coaching - in order to leverage personal motivations - can provide a platform to transform individuals and consequently their health, not only for the duration of this study (16 weeks intensive, 8 months boosters for a total of 12 months) but for their entire lives.

    at UC Irvine UCLA

  • Telenutrition for Individuals With SCI

    open to eligible people ages 20 years and up

    This study will provide nutrition counseling via FaceTime on an iPad to persons with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) who are overweight or obese and are at least one-year post-injury. Nutrition counseling may help participants to develop eating behaviors that match the participants' needs and help improve heart health. The purpose of this project is to decrease the risk of complications like obesity, high cholesterol, or diabetes, and explore associations between bowel and bladder function and nutrition. This study will require 3 in person visits that are about 3 months apart. The total length of the study is about 6 months and includes 3 months of telenutrition counseling.

    at UCSF

  • Continuous Glucose Monitors in Children and Adolescents With Obesity

    open to eligible people ages 10-21

    To study if continuous glucose monitors are feasible for use in children and adolescents with obesity.

    at UCLA

  • Brown Adipose Tissue Activity in Response to Semaglutide Administered to Obese Subjects.

    open to eligible males ages 18 years and up

    ABSTRACT Glucagon like peptide (GLP-1) agonists, such as liraglutide, exenatide, and semaglutide, have been increasingly used as a medication to address the current twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity. Their activities include increasing insulin production by pancreatic beta cells, improving insulin sensitivity in muscles and weight loss1,2. The mechanisms underpinning the weight loss caused by GLP-1 agonists have not yet been fully elucidated, but brown adipose tissue (BAT) appears to play an important role1,2. We propose to assess BAT activity, using infrared thermography camera images, before individuals start weekly administration of semaglutide, at week 2-4, and week 18-20. We hypothesize that this GLP-1 agonist, semaglutide, will cause an increase in BAT activity and a corresponding increase in basal metabolic rate.

    at UCLA

  • Ethnic Influences on Stress, Energy Balance and Obesity in Adolescents

    open to eligible females ages 13-17

    The study will examine the mechanisms linking race, stress and biobehavioral factors to energy balance and obesity in both natural and controlled environments in African-American and Caucasian adolescent females. A Hispanic/Latina cohort has recently been added with permission for the sponsor.

    at UC Irvine

  • Inflammation, Diabetes, Ethnicity and Obesity Cohort

    open to eligible people ages 18-75

    Obesity affects over one third of US adults (>72 million, with BMI ≥30 kg/m2), and the proportion of US adults with BMI ≥40 kg/m2 has doubled in the last 20 years. Obesity is associated with increased mortality through its linkage to comorbidities including diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and psychosocial disturbances. Given its prevalence, impact on morbidity and mortality, and economic cost, limiting the spread of obesity and its consequences is one of the most important problems of our time. In this proposed study, investigators will recruit participants from a wide range of body mass index (BMI), ethnicity and Diabetes risk to collect data and blood, stool and adipose tissue samples in the San Francisco bay area.

    at UCSF

  • Pediatric Obesity Weight Evaluation Registry (POWER) Study

    open to eligible people ages up to 18 years

    The main objective of this study is to establish a national pediatric obesity registry known as POWER (Pediatric Obesity Weight Evaluation Registry). This registry will contain clinical data from individual comprehensive pediatric weight management programs around the United States for overweight and obese youth.

    at UCLA UCSF

  • Metabolic Responses to Bariatric Surgery

    “Using tissue samples to better understand the metabolism and genetics of obesity”

    open to eligible people ages 18-55

    Research the genetic and biomechanical markers of human adipose tissue on patients with morbid obesity. Additional tissue/fluid collection is also gathered during the time of surgery.

    at UC Davis

  • Fenretinide Administered in Subjects With Obesity

    Sorry, currently not accepting new patients, but might later

    Many metabolic complications of obesity are a consequence of abnormal responses of the liver, muscle, and fat to insulin actions. Fenretinide may improve the effects of insulin, preventing metabolic complications.

    at UCSD

  • Olive Oil Polyphenols and Cardiovascular Health Biomarkers

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    The purpose of this research is to investigate whether consuming two different kinds of olive oil will change risk factors related to cardiovascular disease, including levels of good and bad cholesterol, levels of inflammation, and levels of gene expression.

    at UC Davis

  • Time-Restricted Eating in Cardiometabolic Health

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a dietary manipulation that involves restricting food intake to 6-12 h/day with no energy intake the rest of the day. In rodents, TRE improves metabolic function without caloric restriction, potentially by activating nutrient sensing mechanisms and effects on circadian oscillations. However, an understanding of the effect of TRE on cardiometabolic health in people is not clear and few studies have evaluated this issue. Accordingly, the investigators propose to conduct a randomized controlled trial in people with obesity and prediabetes to determine the effect of 9 h TRE for 12 weeks, without a change in body weight, on key metabolic outcomes that are risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD): 1) multi-organ insulin sensitivity; 2) 24 h metabolic homeostasis and diurnal rhythm; and 3) adipose tissue and skeletal muscle biology. The proposed studies will elucidate the cardiometabolic implications of TRE in people with obesity and prediabetes.

    at UC Davis

  • Tirzepatide (LY3298176) in Participants With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction and Obesity

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    The main purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of Tirzepatide (LY3298176) in participants with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obesity.

    at UCLA UCSD

  • Tirzepatide (LY3298176) on the Reduction on Morbidity and Mortality in Adults With Obesity

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    This study will investigate the effect of tirzepatide on the reduction of morbidity and mortality in adults living with obesity and provide additional evidence for the potential clinical benefits of tirzepatide in this population.

    at UC Irvine UCLA

  • ADRB3 Signaling Pathway in Human Adipose Tissue

    Sorry, not yet accepting patients

    This study will examine the gene expression of the adrenergic Beta-3 receptor (ADRB3) regulation in human subcutaneous adipose tissue before and after treatment with mirabegron, an ADRB3 agonist. Gene expression will be compared across two groups, lean and obese participants. There will be a total of three study visits: Screening/Eligibility, Pre-Dose Adipose Tissue Biopsy and Post-Dose Adipose Tissue Biopsy. Participants will be given a single dose of 100mg oral mirabegron on the day of the Post-Dose Adipose Tissue Biopsy.The trial design is a single-center, phase 1, open-label, exploratory study to examine the adipocyte gene expression in adults treated with 1 dose of 100mg oral mirabegron.

    at UCSD

  • Addiction-Based Mobile Health Weight Loss Intervention With Coaching

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    New and creative approaches are needed to address childhood obesity. Current strategies result in suboptimal outcomes and are intensive and costly. It has been theorized that overeating, may have addictive qualities, although few weight management interventions have tested therapeutic techniques founded on addiction medicine principles, such as, withdrawal, tolerance and craving control1, 2. A pilot study utilizing an addiction model based mobile health (mHealth) weight-loss intervention in adolescents showed that the app intervention reduced BMI Z-score (zBMI) to a greater extent than youth participating in an in-clinic multidisciplinary weight management intervention, and appeared to be a cost-effective, labor efficient method for adolescent weight management. The proposed multi-site randomized control trial (RCT) will test the effectiveness of an addiction-based weight loss intervention, embodied first as a smartphone app with telephone coaching and second as an identical approach phone-coaching alone intervention compared to age matched controls participating in an in-clinic weight management interventions in a larger sample of economically, racially and ethnically diverse adolescents (ages 14-18). One hundred and eighty adolescents will be recruited from pediatric interdisciplinary weight management clinics operating out of five different hospital systems in Southern California and through targeted mailing to 40 ethnically, racially and economically diverse neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. The adolescents will be randomized 1:1 via stratified block randomization to either receive 1) interactive addiction model based mobile health (mHealth) weight-loss intervention with personalized phone-coaching (AppCoach), 2) interactive addiction model based mHealth weight-loss intervention alone (App) or 3) Multidisciplinary in-clinic weight management program (Clinic). Assessment of the intervention's effect on zBMI and percent over the 95th percentile (%BMIp95), fasting metabolic parameters, addictive eating habits, executive function, and motivation for change will be obtained at enrollment, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months (1 year post intervention follow up). In addition, a real-life economic analysis (cost, cost-saving and non-monetary benefits) analysis will be completed comparing AppCoach to 1) App and 2) Clinic. We will further explore whether primary and secondary outcomes differ by race and whether race moderates the relationship between initial intervention efficacy and prolonged weight maintenance.

    at UCLA

  • Breast Cancer WEight Loss Study (BWEL Study)

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    This randomized phase III trial studies whether weight loss in overweight and obese women may prevent breast cancer from coming back (recurrence). Previous studies have found that women who are overweight or obese when their breast cancer is found (diagnosed) have a greater risk of their breast cancer recurring, as compared to women who were thinner when their cancer was diagnosed. This study aims to test whether overweight or obese women who take part in a weight loss program after being diagnosed with breast cancer have a lower rate of cancer recurrence as compared to women who do not take part in the weight loss program. This study will help to show whether weight loss programs should be a part of breast cancer treatment.

    at UC Davis UCSD UCSF

  • Denosumab to Prevent High-Turnover Bone Loss After Bariatric Surgery

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    Bariatric surgery leads to bone loss and increases fracture risk. This study evaluates whether denosumab can prevent the high-turnover bone loss that occurs after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) surgery.

    at UCSF

  • Determine How Consumption of Dairy Fat as Cheese Influences Inflammation-Phase 2

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    Phase 2 of this study involves determining how consumption of cheese compared with a non-dairy cheese substitute influences inflammation over a six hour period.

    at UC Davis

  • Determine How Consumption of Dairy Fat Fractions Rich in Phospholipids and Proteins Influence Inflammation in the Fed State-Phase 1

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    Phase 1 of this study involves determining how consumption of dairy fat fractions rich in milk fat globule membrane influences postprandial inflammation in participants with metabolic syndrome or obesity during a high dietary fat challenge in a six-hour period.

    at UC Davis

  • Dietary Intervention to Improve Kidney Transplant Outcomes

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    Randomized controlled trial of a curriculum intervention teaching patients to eat a whole-food plant-based dietary pattern versus standard of care in kidney transplant recipients within the first few months of transplant

    at UC Davis

  • Dietary Treatment Study of Fat Synthesis and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    The purpose of this study is to find out how the amount of fat or sugar in a person's diet, or the number of meals eaten each day, affect the amount of fat that people's bodies make, the types of fats in the bloodstream, and how much fat is stored in the liver. The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

    at UCSF

  • Time-restricted Eating on Catecholamine-sensitivity of Adipose Tissue in Obese Adults

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    In a randomized controlled trial, the investigators intend to measure the health impact of time-restricted eating (TRE) in obese patients (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2), who habitually eat for more than 14 hours every day. Patients will be randomly assigned to a control group of behavioral nutritional counseling (standard of care) or the intervention group of behavioral nutrition counseling with the addition of adopting a 10-hour eating window for 12 weeks (TRE).

    at UCSD

  • Extracellular microRNA: Biomarkers of Endothelial Dysfunction in Obese Adolescents & Adults With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

    Sorry, not yet accepting patients

    Using a prospective observational approach and a clinical trial design comparing the effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure to diet and exercise, investigators plan to evaluate how obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) leads to endothelial dysfunction in adolescents and young adults and whether treatment of OSA can improve endothelial dysfunction. Concurrently, investigators will measure miR 92a/miR 210 levels in all subjects at baseline and following therapy to determine whether miR 92a/miR 210 levels reliably predict endothelial dysfunction in patients and responses to therapy.

    at UCSD

  • FRESH-TEEN: Families Responsibility Education Support Health for Teens

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    The objective of this proposed study is to collect initial efficacy data on a behavioral weight loss (BWL) program for teens, which also includes emotion regulation strategies (ER), to standard BWL.

    at UCSD

  • Goals for Reaching Optimal Wellness: GROWell

    “We're looking for healthy pregnant people to participate in a mobile health program”

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    Despite the negative consequences to maternal-child health from women gaining too much weight during pregnancy, up to 62% of overweight and obese women gain more pregnancy weight than is recommended. This project will establish the efficacy of Goals for Reaching Optimal Wellness (GROWell), an mHealth tool for achieving appropriate pregnancy weight gain and promoting postpartum weight loss among women who enter pregnancy overweight or obese. GROWell will fill a gap in research and clinical care by providing a validated, standalone mHealth tool for weight control during pregnancy and postpartum, which is a currently lacking resource.

    at UC Davis

  • Methylglyoxal (MGO) Lowering Cocktail to Reduce Appetite in Obese Individuals

    Sorry, not yet accepting patients

    Mechanisms that drive addiction to sugar rich foods are a major driving factor in the pathogenesis of obesity, which has become one of the most significant health care burdens. The molecular underpinnings of these hedonic mechanisms that drive addiction to sugar are poorly understood. The investigators demonstrated that methylglyoxal (MGO) derived Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs) enhance food intake especially under a high sugar diet. The investigators identified a methylglyoxal (MGO) lowering cocktail, Gly-low, a combination of alpha-lipoic acid, nicotinamide, thiamine, pyridoxamine, and piperine that demonstrates a multimodal effect influencing many pathways related to aging including calorie restriction. Glycation lowering (Gly-low) treatment significantly reduces food intake and weight gain in the db/db mice that lack the leptin receptor. The investigators also extended the lifespan of C57BL/6 mice fed with these compounds starting when they were 24 months old. Based on these results, the investigators hypothesized that methylglyoxal (MGO) lowering cocktail of compounds can be given to adults with obesity, specified as body mass index (BMI) >27, to lower serum and urinary markers of insulin resistance, lower boy mass index (BMI), and lower food intake.

    at UCSF

  • Milk-Tot Study: Impact of Whole Versus Low-fat Milk on Child Health

    Sorry, not yet accepting patients

    In the U.S. it is recommended that children consume whole cow's milk (3.5% fat) from ages 1 to 2 years to support rapid early growth and brain development, and then at age 2 years transition to low-fat (1%) or non-fat milk to reduce saturated fat and calorie intake. To date, few studies have examined the optimal milk type for children to prevent obesity. This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effect of consumption of whole versus 1% milk on child adiposity.

    at UC Davis

  • ObeSity and Jobs in SoCioeconomically Disadvantaged CommUnities: A Randomized CLinical Precision Public HealTh Intervention --The SCULPT-Job Study

    Sorry, accepting new patients by invitation only

    This is an interventional research study about clinical, psychosocial, and behavioral factors that impact weight loss, weight maintenance, and cardiovascular disease in socially disadvantaged persons.

    at UCSF

  • Semaglutide to Reduce Atrial Fibrillation Burden

    Sorry, currently not accepting new patients, but might later

    Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia worldwide. AF is associated with obesity and the co-morbidities of obesity, including hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) which increase left atrial (LA) size and decrease LA function. Semaglutide, a Glucagon-like peptide receptor 1 agonist (GLP-1 RA), is currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for weight loss for individuals with and without diabetes. The effects of pharmacologic weight loss with Semaglutide on AF are unknown. The investigators plan on conducting a randomized controlled trial of semaglutide versus placebo in individuals with paroxysmal or early persistent AF (>10% AF burden on ambulatory monitoring, a previous electrical cardioversion, or AF lasting ≥ 7 days but < 3 months who have a body mass index ≥ 27.0 kg/m2. The trial will last for 52 weeks. The primary outcome will be the change in AF burden for 2 weeks, immediately before starting the medication or placebo to two weeks starting at week 50, as determined by an implantable loop recorder or two week ambulatory Additional outcomes will be change in epicardial adipose tissue as determined by chest/abdomen/pelvis computed tomography scan at enrollment and at week 52, change in apnea-hypopnea index from baseline sleep study to week 52 sleep study, change in LA longitudinal strain from baseline echocardiogram to echocardiogram at 52 weeks, and change on symptom surveys.

    at UCSF

  • SMART 2.0: Social Mobile Approaches to Reducing weighT in Young Adults

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    The SMART 2.0 study is a 24-month trial designed to evaluate the impact of the intervention with technology and personal health coaching or with technology alone on objectively measured weight among overweight young adults in a university setting over 24 months compared to a control group. The investigators hypothesize that both interventions will significantly improve weight compared to the control group, and the group receiving personal health coaching will experience the greatest improvement.

    at UCSD

  • Time-restricted Eating on Liver Metabolism

    “Help us find out if changing when and how often we eat improves metabolic health!”

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    Numerous studies have established the role of nutrition on obesity and its related metabolic diseases, which together affect a billion individuals worldwide. Evidence indicate that meal timing regulates numerous metabolic processes suggesting that meal time manipulation may be a simple intervention against obesity and its metabolic diseases. Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a dietary manipulation that involves restricting food intake to 6-10 h/day with no energy intake the rest of the day. In rodents, TRE significantly decreases hepatic steatosis and dyslipidemia, while it supports a healthier hepatic cellular content even without caloric restriction, potentially by alternating activation of nutrient sensing mechanisms and effects on circadian oscillations. However, an understanding of the effect of TRE on liver health in people is not clear. Accordingly, we will conduct a randomized controlled trial in people with overweight/obesity and hepatic steatosis to determine the effect of 9 h TRE for 12 weeks, on key metabolic outcomes in liver health: 1) intrahepatic triglyceride content using magnetic resonance imaging; 2) de novo lipogenesis during fasting and postprandial conditions using administration of deuterated water in conjunction with mathematical modeling. The proposed study will enable us to determine the effect of meal timing on metabolic function in people with NAFLD.

    at UC Davis

  • Cognitive Impairment, Obesity, and the Effects of Bariatric Surgery

    Sorry, accepting new patients by invitation only

    Study is designed to screen psychological cognitive baseline and retention/improvement after weight loss surgery.

    at UC Davis

  • El Sendero: Pathways to Health Study

    Sorry, accepting new patients by invitation only

    This project will continue to follow two birth cohorts of mother-infant Latino dyads through a series of new assessments at age 6y, with an emphasis on examining the the role early nutritional exposures, exposures to environmental toxins, and social determinants of health have on adiposity, eating behaviors, brain structure and function, cognitive outcomes, and chronic disease risk.

    at UCSD

  • Feeding My Baby - A National WIC Study

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    The goal of the study is to be a current examination of infant and toddler feeding practices among families receiving WIC services. It has been more than 10 years since the last study of such feeding practices, and in the interim important changes have taken place in the WIC program, in society, and in the science of nutrition. The study will include exploration of breastfeeding practices and support, more general feeding practices, nutritional intake of infants and toddlers, transitions in infant and toddler feeding practices, early precursors of obesity, and family factors that may influence all of these nutrition-related issues. It will also explore characteristics of the WIC program in selected sites, and how these relate to infant and toddler feeding decisions and practices. This study is important both to update knowledge about the WIC population, and to uncover possible new avenues of inquiry regarding early childhood obesity. Update on November 25, 2020: The WIC ITFPS-2 will now follow participants through child age 9 years. This unprecedented opportunity will provide FNS with a better understanding of the impact of WIC participation on health and nutrition outcomes in childhood.

    at UCLA

  • Technical Validation of MR Biomarkers of Obesity-Associated NAFLD

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    The overall goal of this collaborative research program is to develop, validate and translate advanced quantitative magnetic resonance (MR) biomarkers of obesity-associated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This protocol represents the research plan for two distinct phases. The first phase is an optimization phase. The second phase is designed to complete a rigorous test of conventional and advanced MRE techniques. Complementary anthropometric, laboratory, and MR measures will also be collected to characterize the cohort and identify factors that affect MRE performance

    at UCSD

  • Natural Sugars in Breast Milk on Healthy Infant Growth and Development

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    This study will investigate the effects of breastfeeding and breastmilk composition on infant gut microbiome development as well as obesity and cognitive outcomes. Breast milk contains certain natural sugars that can promote the growth of 'good' bacteria in the intestines and reduce the growth of harmful bacteria. The purpose of this study is to look at the effects of these natural sugars in breast milk on the infant's bacteria and the impact of this on development of obesity and cognitive outcomes by 2 years of age with plans for longer term follow up contingent upon funding.

    at UCSD

  • Underlying Mechanisms of Obesity-induced Obstructive Sleep Apnea

    Sorry, accepting new patients by invitation only

    Obesity is a common risk factor for the development of obstructive sleep apnea. However, not all subjects with obesity develop obstructive sleep apnea. This study will attempt to determine the mechanistic drivers between obesity and obstructive sleep apnea.

    at UCSD

Our lead scientists for Obesity research studies include .

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