Active clinical trials for "Obesity, Abdominal"

The objective of this study is to assess feasibility of the application of an adapted version, with permission, of Dr. Cenk Tek's Simplified Intervention to Modify Physical activity, Lifestyle, and Eating behavior (SIMPLE Program), at Pathways to Housing in Calgary, Alberta. Dr. Tek and his colleagues reviewed the literature and eloquently summarized how individuals with severe mental illness, particularly schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder are disproportionately affected by obesity and its cardio-metabolic sequelae leading to markedly reduced longevity and increased healthcare costs. Most new antipsychotic medications, which are credited for significant advances in patients' quality of life, appear to induce further weight gain, compounding the problem of obesity and related medical morbidity and mortality. In addition to the weight gain associated with psychiatric medications, sedentary life style, lack of availability of healthy food options, poverty, low level of physical activity, cigarette smoking, and inadequate knowledge or understanding of health maintenance, appear to contribute to the increased obesity rates and poor health in the severely mentally ill. Dr. Tek and colleagues reviewed the available literature on weight loss interventions in individuals with severe mental illness. Despite the overwhelming problems related to obesity, Dr. Tek's team found that research on obesity interventions for persons with schizophrenia is relatively neglected and that there were no treatments that were convincingly shown to be effective for weight reduction in this population with unique needs. Sensing a major societal gap, they decided to create their own weight loss intervention specifically for individuals with severe mental illness. Toward this aim, they collaborated with Dr. Kelly Brownell who created the Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitudes, Relationships, and Nutrition or LEARN Program. This multi-faceted program is designed to promote positive changes in motivation, attitude and deeply ingrained habits that will lead to long lasting weight loss. Brownell's LEARN program is a self-directed weight loss program that empowers the user to make lifestyle changes. Dr. Tek and his colleagues modified and built upon the program by creating the Simplified Intervention to Modify Physical activity, Lifestyle, and Eating behavior or SIMPLE program specifically for individuals with severe mental illness (http://www.simpleprogram.org/). The SIMPLE program is a group weight loss intervention designed for obese patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Dr. Tek and his team piloted their modified weight loss program and published their findings in 2007. Their preliminary study yielded greater weight loss than any of the published randomized controlled trials for a chronic and stable schizophrenia sample, and was the only study to show continued weight loss after the intervention ended. These early results prompted a new larger randomized controlled trial with the largest sample studied to date, an extended period of follow-up, and more detailed testing of the effects of weight loss on schizophrenia symptoms, quality of life, and laboratory markers of obesity related illness risk over a period of up to 16 months. Preliminary results of this trial show significant, sustained weight loss. The goal of this study presented for ethics review, is to apply Dr. Tek's 16-week intervention to a small group of patients at the Pathways to Housing program in Calgary, Alberta. The study coordinator will use Dr. Tek's published manuals, giving full acknowledgment to the authors, to create weekly supportive educational sessions for the group of patients. Three Pathways to Housing staff members, who regularly create education groups for Pathways to Housing patients during a weekly "lifestyle group", will sit in on each session. Weight (to calculate BMI) and waist circumference will be measured weekly. There will be no control group. The proposed feasibility study is designed to fit seamlessly within existing frameworks at Pathways to Housing. Upon completion of the study, we will convene a debriefing session with both the participants and the three Pathways to Housing staff to learn whether patients found the intervention valuable, and whether staff members feel capable of implementing the program on their own going forward. If the program is found to be feasible, the materials created will be available for future use by the multidisciplinary team at Pathways to Housing.

The purpose of the study is to examine whether a medication called acipimox can improve your body's mitochondria. Mitochondria are the "power house" of the cell and make energy for your body. Obesity is associated with increased risk for developing diabetes. However, the investigators do not know how obesity leads to diabetes. Previous studies have shown levels of fat in the blood (free fatty acids or FFA) are higher in obesity, and elevated FFA can affect how our body uses glucose and responds to insulin. Recent studies have shown that changes in mitochondria may be involved in the development of diabetes and may be affected by FFA. The investigators propose to improve the function of mitochondria in obese people with pre-diabetes by treating with acipimox, a medication which decreases FFA. The investigators will use state of the art techniques to evaluate the mitochondria, including a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique to measure function of mitochondria in muscle.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the efficacy on insulin sensitivity of GFT505 at 80mg/d in male patients with insulin resistance and abdominal obesity. Evaluation will be made using a glucose clamp technique.

The overall aim of this study is to investigate the effects of GH treatment in men with the Metabolic Syndrome and a high risk of developing type 2 DM. Forty men with abdominal obesity and impaired glucose tolerance will be randomized to two parallel treatment groups with GH and placebo for 12 months. The subjects will receive treatment with recombinant human GH (Genotropin®) or placebo administered by a daily s.c. injection before bedtime. The initial dose of GH will be 0.4 IU per day increased to 0.8 IU after 2 weeks and to 1.2 IU after 4 weeks of treatment. Thus, the target dose is 1.2 IU per day which resembles approximately 0.015 IU/kg/day. The GH dose will be reduced by half in the event of side-effects. Oral and written instructions in terms of administration and dosage will be given. The treatment can be discontinued by the patient. The treatment should be discontinued if malignancy is discovered, DM developes, if the subject experience a cerebrovascular disease and in the event of any other side-effects that is considered as serious. The treatment code for each subject included in the trial will be kept at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital Pharmacy. This code can be broken on the request of the investigator. Compliance will be assessed by collecting empty vials from the study subjects. The treatment is discontinued at the end of the study.

The purposes of this study are to compare the effects of Topiramate and placebo on abdominal visceral fat accumulation at 6 months and to evaluate the safety of Topiramate for up to 12 months of continued treatment in male patients with abdominal obesity.

Increased abdominal adiposity is a key feature of metabolic syndrome, which describes a cluster of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors that also includes insulin resistance, high blood pressure and an atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype characterized by increased plasma triglycerides, low HDL-C, and increased levels of small LDL particles. While lifestyle intervention remains the cornerstone for managing obesity and metabolic syndrome, the optimal dietary macronutrient distribution for improving blood lipids and CVD risk remains a topic of controversy. While both low carbohydrate diets and weight reduction are effective for managing atherogenic dyslipidemia, long-term compliance is low, and it becomes imperative to identify alternative dietary approaches. Increased consumption of almonds has been shown to lower LDL-C, an effect that exceeds that predicted from changes in fatty acid intake. However, although LDL-C lowering by almonds has been demonstrated in patients with diabetes, there have been no trials in non-diabetic patients with abdominal obesity. Moreover, there is limited information of the effects of almond intake on LDL particle subclasses. The overall objective of the present study is to determine whether lipoprotein measures of CVD risk in individuals with increased abdominal adiposity are reduced by almond supplementation in a diet with overall macronutrient content that conforms to current guidelines. Our main hypothesis is that in these individuals, almond consumption can reduce levels of small and medium LDL particles without the need to restrict dietary carbohydrates to levels below those currently recommended. This hypothesis will be tested by comparing the lipoprotein effects of an almond-supplemented diet (20%E) with those of two reference diets that do not contain almond products: one with similar content of carbohydrate, protein, and fat (standard reference), and the other in which carbohydrate content is reduced by substitution of protein and monounsaturated fat (low-carbohydrate reference). We will provide the diets for 3 weeks each in a randomized 3-period crossover design to 40 individuals with increased abdominal adiposity. We will test whether the almond supplemented diet will result in lower levels of lipoprotein measures of CVD risk, specifically LDL-C and small and medium LDL particles, compared to either the standard or low-carbohydrate reference diets.

This study will determine the health benefits of combining exercise training and increasing the amount of physical activity in daily life on the fat around the abdomen, weight, fitness and sensitivity to insulin. Volunteers will participate in one of three groups for 6 months: 1) a control group, 2) exercise training only, or 3) exercise training and increasing physical activity outside of training. The exercise training will follow the public health recommendations for exercise (150 minutes/week of moderate exercise). The group increasing physical activity along with exercise training will be asked to increase physical activity in their daily life (up to 3,000 step/day above their current levels through the use of step counters), and meetings focused on behavior modification. The investigators hypothesize that combining aerobic training and additional physical activity after training will have the most profound reduction on waist circumference and body composition.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) prevail as the main cause of death in developed and developing countries and are among the most frequent causes of disabilities in Brazil and in the world. Economic alternatives have been studied to assist in reducing cardiovascular risk factors. Within this context, the Solanum menogena, whose fruit known as eggplant is widely consumed in Brazil, is being used in alternative medicine with the purpose to reduce the concentrations of cholesterol, glucose and promote loss of body weight. Aubergine (eggplant) stands out for its high fibre content (approximately 40%) and low fat content. In addition, it is popularly known for its functional properties, aiding in reducing the risk of coronary diseases. The purplish coloring of the eggplant peel is attributed to the large amount of flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties and contribute to the flavor of eggplant. The investigators hypothesis is that the eggplant flour associated with a restricted calorie diet has effect in reduction in waist circumference, reduction of body fat and increasing HDL-cholesterol; this way, contributing to the reduction of cardiovascular risk factors All participants will be informed about the research and they will have to sign a consent form. The volunteers will be divided into two groups: one group will receive a restricted-calorie diet and supplementation with eggplant flour; and the other will receive a diet plus a placebo for 120 days, being both groups evaluated monthly. In each consultation, evaluation of weight, body composition, fulfillment of the diet and blood pressure measurement will be performed. In addition, blood will also be collected in order to determine glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, oxidized anti-LDL antibodies, 15-isoprostane and minerals (selenium, zinc, iron, manganese, magnesium and copper). The results will be analyzed by statistical program. The investigators expect that with the results obtained, the eggplant flour can be used as an ally in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Objective: To show the effectiveness of walking with ECE PEDO (Equipment for Clever Exercise) comparing supervised treadmill walking corresponding moderate aerobic exercise intensity on abdominal obesity and cardiorespiratory capacity.

General objective: To assess the effect of vitamin D supplementation on metabolic syndrome among food insecure and vitamin D deficient older adults in Karaj city, Alborz province in Iran. A two-arm randomised controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted by recruiting participants. Inclusion Criteria: Food insecure, metabolic syndrome; Vitamin D deficiency Exclusion Criteria: those who are already taking any type of vitamin D supplements, Individuals with a history of allergy, Those subjects with serious medical condition such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, and etc., Intervention group: The intervention will start from 10 of May 2017 to 11 of July 2017 for 2 months. The intervention group will receive 50,000 U vitamin D3 per week (equivalent to 1,250 μg) for 8 weeks plus pamphlets and brochures about nutrition and health at the beginning of the study. Control group: The respondents in control group will receive placebo plus brochures and pamphlets related to nutrition and health at the beginning of the study. The data collection process will identify the older adults for both groups; intervention and control. Consent will be obtained from those who are eligible. Anthropometric measurement (height, weight, body mass index, and waist circumference), blood pressure measurement, blood taking and three-day food record will be obtained during baseline from all study respondents in the intervention and control groups. Primary Output: Achieving 25 (OH) D upper than insufficient serum 25(OH) D level >30 ng/l. Secondary Output: Reduction anthropometry (body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), Improved Biomarkers indicators (lipid profile, fasting blood fast), improved blood pressure before and after intervention.