Active clinical trials for "Obesity, Abdominal"

Diet plays an important role in relation to prevention of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Studies have shown that diets with high whole-grain content could decrease the risk of these lifestyle related diseases and in Sweden the national dietary guidelines recommends whole-grain based instead of refined cereal products. It is, however, not clear whether whole-grain from wheat and rye share similar protective effects since there are large differences in amount and quality of dietary fibre and associated bioactive compounds. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of a wholegrain diet with low- or high lignan content on different cardiometabolic risk factors with the primary endpoint being blood glucose levels after 2h oral glucose tolerance test in men with metabolic syndrome or sign thereof.

Mediterranean (MED) diet, richer in plants/seeds (and dietary polyphenols) and low in processed meat (green-MED diet) may have a pronounced beneficial effect on age-related declines that begin in middle age, reflected by changes in adiposity, cognitive function, and cardiometabolic risk. The investigators hypothesize that long-term intake of this diet will significantly potentiate the effects of a healthy lifestyle (physical activity and Mediterranean diet), constituting a powerful strategy to halt or even reverse the progression of several age-related processes related to adiposity, cardiometabolic health and cognition. The investigators further hypothesize that lifestyle intervention might modify the gut microbiota profile and that autologous fecal microbiota supplement derived from the time of maximal weight loss might halt the expected subsequent regain phase.

The prevalence of overweight and lifestyle related diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing world wide. The metabolic syndrome (MeS) is a condition characterized by abdominal obesity, high blood lipids, high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar. MeS is associated with an increased risk of developing CVD and T2D. Dietary fibers and whey protein have independently shown beneficial effects on several of these risk factors in previous studies. Whey protein is furthermore seen to show positive effects on bone turnover. The purpose of this trial is to investigate whether an increased intake of dietary fibers and whey protein (separately or combined) over a period of 12 weeks will affect the risk markers of MeS and bone turnover in abdominally obese subjects. A total of 80 people with abdominal obesity will be included. The design is a randomized, double blinded, controlled dietary intervention trial. Subjects are assigned to one of four experimental groups. Each group are provided with test products containing either high or low whey protein and high or low dietary fibers to replace part of their regular diet. The subjects are instructed in how to incorporate the test products in their habitual diets in order to maintain weight stability. The primary outcome is postprandial lipaemia (PPL) - an independent risk factor of developing CVD. PPL is estimated by performing a standardized high fat meal test during which postprandial level of triglycerides is measured. The authors hypothesize that a diet of high content of whey protein and high dietary fiber during 12 weeks will induce a reduction in PPL.

The purpose of this study was to analyze microcurrent short and long term effects used with aerobic exercise on abdominal fat.

SYSDIET (Systems biology in controlled dietary interventions and cohort studies) is one of the three centres in the NCoE Food, Nutrition and Health, 2007-2011. It consists of 12 partners from five Nordic countries working on multidisciplinary fields of science related to nutritional biology. The main objective of SYSDIET is to reveal mechanisms by which Nordic foods and diets could be modified to promote health and prevent insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, all of which being connected to metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, the aim is to build up a Nordic platform for cohort studies and carefully conducted multi-centre dietary intervention studies, where novel nutritional systems biology tools can be applied besides human studies also in animal and cell culture studies. In order to achieve the main objective a Nordic multi-centre randomized controlled human intervention study is being conducted in 2009-2010 in 6-8 centres of SYSDIET consortium. Health of the Nordic populations has substantially improved during the last 30 years. This is due e.g. to marked decline in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, during the last 10-20 years increasing obesity and sedentary lifestyle have resulted in an increase of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Having this background, the aim of the SYSDIET consortium is to carry out a controlled, randomized dietary intervention study in persons with features of metabolic syndrome to find out the effects of a healthy Nordic food on major abnormalities in metabolic syndrome. Altogether 167 persons aged 30 to 65 years were recruited from 6-8 centers (40-60 subjects/center) of the SYSDIET cohort. The main inclusion criterion is BMI 27-38 kg/m2. The subjects should also have at least two other IDF criteria for metabolic syndrome. Recruited persons will start the study by following their conventional diet for one month as a run-in period. After that subjects will be randomly assigned into Experimental- or Control-diet-group for 6 months. Experimental diet is rich in whole grain products, berries, fruits, vegetables and fish, and its fat intake is modified according to current Nordic recommendations. Control diet is based on the current information of the mean dietary intake and food consumption. The diets will be realized according to eating habits in each Nordic country.

In a previous study, 24 volunteers consumed two conventional eggs or two eggs naturally enriched with omega 3, 5 and 7 every day for 3 months. It was shown that these eggs were well tolerated and that the omega enrichment led to a reduction in waist circumference of 3 cm in 3 months. The objective of Omegasnack study was therefore to go further in the evaluation of these effects on waist circumference; 1) confirm the effects of these eggs on waist circumference when included in a snack, 2) determine whether this reduction in waist circumference is linked to a reduction in muscle and/or fat mass (subcutaneous and/or visceral) and 3) evaluate whether these effects are associated with a modification in the accumulation of ectopic fat in the muscle and/or liver.

The proposed study aims to determine the metabolic and appetite responses to standard breakfast and lunch meals whilst altering the timing of whey protein supplementation. Currently, the designs implemented in many studies mean that it is unclear whether an optimum time for whey protein consumption exists in order to promote the greatest acute health benefits. A number of studies have investigated the effects of whey protein when consumed as a preload to a subsequent meal, whilst benefits have also been shown when whey protein is ingested with a meal. The proposed study will therefore investigate strategies of whey protein supplementation that vary in their practical applicability, using meals that reflect regular eating behaviours throughout the population in a sample of overweight/obese individuals. Findings from this study may provide important information regarding the efficacy of whey protein supplementation before, during and after a composite meal, and its effect on the handling of a subsequent mixed-macronutrient meal.

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the beneficial effects on gut microbiota composition and activity of the diary intake of insoluble fiber (extract from Aspergillus Niger) for three weeks. The first studies about the fiber have shown a favorable gut microbiota modulation and an improvement of metabolic parameters like LDL cholesterol. In addition to fecal measurements, several biomarkers of colic fermentation will be assessed: expired gases, PolyUnsaturated Fatty Acid, Short Chain Fatty Acid (SCFA) after a rich-fiber breakfast (= 15 grams) and a nutritional challenge test at lunch. The gastrointestinal tolerance of fiber intake and the intestinal transit modification will be also followed during all the study.

Currently, the incidence of obesity and obesity-related disorders is reaching epidemic proportions, which entails an increasing burden for health care systems. The association of obesity with other risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, such as insulin resistance and hypertension, is often referred to as the metabolic syndrome. During recent years, salt-sensitivity of blood pressure has emerged as an additional cardiovascular risk factor that is related to obesity and other key components of the metabolic syndrome. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of these interrelationships are complex and incompletely elucidated. Microvascular dysfunction has been proposed as a link between insulin resistance and hypertension in obese individuals. In addition, impairment of microvascular function was found to be associated with salt-sensitivity of blood pressure. Increased aldosterone levels, as observed in obese individuals, might be a cause of microvascular dysfunction-induced salt-sensitivity and insulin resistance. Aldosterone not only gives rise to sodium-retention in the distal tubule of the kidney, but was also found to impair endothelial function and thus lower NO-availability, which is characteristic of microvascular dysfunction. In addition, elevated aldosterone levels are associated with both hypertension and insulin resistance, which is illustrated in patients with primary aldosteronism, but also in the general population. The investigators hypothesize that increased aldosterone levels in obese individuals lead to impairment of microvascular function through reduction of NO-availability. This microvascular dysfunction is suggested to play a central role in the pathogenesis of salt-sensitive hypertension and insulin resistance.

High fructose intake is increasingly recognized as causative in development of prediabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The mechanisms underlying fructose-induced metabolic disturbances are unclear but are beginning to be unraveled. In contrast to metabolism of glucose, the breakdown of fructose leads to the generation of metabolites that stimulate hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and increased levels of both fasting and postprandial triglycerides. The key lipogenic transcription factor seems to be activated by fructose independently of insulin. However, it is still controversial whether fructose consumption increases DNL in man to the extent that it induces metabolic disturbances. Animal studies have shown that also the adipose tissue is responsive to fructose feeding fructose, and that high fructose-feeding induces insulin resistance and inflammation in the adipose tissue. The role of intestinal insulin resistance in fructose-induced dysmetabolism has not been studied in detail. The critical question is whether the metabolic disturbances are induced by calorie excess or by fructose per se.