
Trial of Supplemental Parenteral Nutrition in Under and Over Weight Critically Ill Patients (TOP-UP)...
Critical IllnessAcute Respiratory FailureThe specific aim of the proposed study is to conduct a pilot study involving 160 critically-ill lean and obese patients enrolled at 11 sites in Canada, the United States of America, Belgium and France in order to: Specific Aims Confirm that we can achieve a clinically significant difference in calorie and protein intake between the two intervention groups. Estimate recruitment rate i.e. number of eligible and enrolled patients per month per site. Evaluate the safety, tolerance, and logistics around providing supplemental PN in the study population in the context of a multicenter trial, e.g. To ensure adequate glycemic control in both groups. To ensure that the other metabolic consequences of the feeding strategies are minimized. To establish adequate compliance with study protocols and completion of case report forms A secondary aim of this pilot study will be: • To explore the effect of differential effects of calorie and protein delivery on muscle and mass function.

Grain Exercise Trial - Whole Grain Versus no Grain With or Without Physiotherapy-promoted Exercise...
Abdominal ObesityCardiovascular Diseases3 moreThe main purpose of this 2-year lifestyle experiment for waist loss is twofold: to compare whole grains and no grains as part of a healthy diet, to determine if an 8-week exercise program, led by physiotherapists, is more efficient than brief counseling and follow-up. People with abdominal overweight (≥84 cm in women and ≥98 cm in men) and at least one additional cardiovascular risk factor, (typically hypertension, diabetes type 2 or prior cardiovascular disease) are randomly assigned to receive Diet A or Diet B, with or without a structured exercise program at the department of physiotherapy, or to a control group receiving usual care. Diet A and B both include fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, and low-fat dairy products, and differ only in that Diet A recommends exchange of cereal grains for more potatoes, root vegetables, fruit and other carbohydrate-rich foods, while Diet B recommends exchange of regular cereal grains for whole grains. The primary outcome (most important follow-up variable) is change in waist circumference during 2 years. Secondary outcome measures include blood pressure, blood lipids, level of physical activity and, in subjects with diabetes, glycated hemoglobin and fasting blood sugar.

Web-Based Weight Management for Individuals With Mental Illness
Mental DisordersSchizophrenia4 moreObesity and physical inactivity have become serious problems for individuals with mental illness, resulting in increased rates of chronic disease, premature death, and substantial health care costs. Although in-person psychoeducational interventions help individuals with mental illness manage their weight, these interventions are often not used because they require frequent travel to treatment programs and substantial time from clinicians. This project addresses these barriers by developing and evaluating the effectiveness of an web-based computer system that is focused on diet and exercise education, and designed to help individuals with mental illness manage their weight.

Safety and Efficacy of Glucosanol in Reducing Body Weight in Overweight and Obese Subjects
Overweight and ObesityGlucosanol™, the medical device to be investigated contains a proprietary plant extract that is a natural inhibitor of alpha-amylase and can reduce starch digestion. The rationale for this study is to confirm that Glucosanol™ ingestion will reduce body weight. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled design has been chosen to assess the efficacy and safety of Glucosanol™ in subjects who are overweight and mildly obese.

Efficacy of a Probiotic Formulation on Energy Balance in Overweight Subjects
HealthyProbiotic administration is associated with health benefits on gut barrier integrity and immunological functions of the gastrointestinal tract. Recently, probiotic consumption was proposed to reduce fat mass and body weight in rodents (Lee HY. et al. 2006; Hamad EM. et al. 2009). Changes in energy metabolism might be involved in the effects of probiotics on weight control. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of the consumption of a probiotic formulation on energy balance in overweight subjects.

Electronic Health Technology for Assessment of Physical Activity and Eating Habits in Children and...
OverweightObesityAims: During the last decades overweight/obesity has increased markedly. They are associated with a high risk for diabetes and death. Effective intervention is mandatory. Following participation in treatment programmes children/adolescents often fail to reach sufficient long-term weight reduction. The present trial aims to integrate telemedical support in therapy to improve long term outcome. Methods: All children/adolescents with overweight/obesity were included (n=66,age 13.9±2.6 years, body mass index [BMI] 31.2±5.4kg/m², body mass index standard deviation score [BMI-SDS] 2.41±0.6) admitted to our hospital 04-03/2009. To asses physical activity and eating habits electronic health technology was used (Fraunhofer-Institute). The system consists in a motion sensor integrated in a mobile phone(DiaTrace). The system analyses kind, intensity and duration of physical activity and eating habits.

The Effects of Leucine on Body Weight
OverweightObesityProtein-rich diets appear to show some benefits in promoting weight loss. It is thought that increased intake of leucine may account for some of this effect. This study is designed to assess whether any of the beneficial effects of dietary leucine supplementation observed in mice also apply to humans. Specifically, our team would like to determine whether oral leucine supplementation in overweight/obese humans increases metabolic rate, reduces body weight, improves glucose utilization and/or, reduces circulating fat levels in the blood. We hope that the results obtained from this pilot study will highlight the specific aspects of metabolic improvement associated with increased daily leucine intake. This study will should provide data that can be used to design more definitive trials with regard to dietary leucine supplementation. Hypothesis This pilot study is designed to accomplish the following two goals: to assess whether any of the beneficial effects of dietary leucine supplementation observed in mice also apply in humans. Specifically, we want to determine whether oral leucine supplementation in overweight/obese individuals' increases basal metabolic rate, reduces body weight, improves glucose tolerance and/or insulin sensitivity, and/or reduces circulating Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels. To provide data that can be used to design more definitive trials with regard to dietary leucine supplementation. We hope that the results obtained from this pilot study will highlight the specific aspects of metabolic improvement associated with increased daily leucine intake. This would in turn lead to more rigorous clinical trials involving larger sample sizes, and with diverse populations of different gender, age, and ethnic groups. Future trials may also be directed to determine minimal doses and durations of leucine supplementation that are capable of achieving clinically significant improvement in the cardio-metabolic risk profile in people.

A Study of the Safety and Effectiveness of Canagliflozin (JNJ-28431754) in Promoting Weight Loss...
ObesityThe purpose of this study is to test the safety and effectiveness of JNJ-28431754 in promoting weight loss in patients who are overweight or obese and who do not have diabetes.

Behavioral Treatment for Weight Loss
Overweight and ObesityThis project compares gold standard cognitive-behavioral therapy (based on LEARN, Diabetes Prevention Program, LOOK Ahead) used in both research and clinical settings, with acceptance-based behavioral therapy for weight loss. Standard behavior treatment (SBT) focuses on modifying eating, thinking, and activity levels. Participants limit their daily caloric intake, keep food records, increase physical activity, and practice weight control behaviors, such as stimulus control, cognitive restructuring, alternative coping skills, and distinguishing hunger from cravings. The acceptance-based approach (ABT) incorporates the behavioral and nutritional components, but replaced the cognitive and motivational components with components that are consistent with an acceptance-based approach, such as acceptance and willingness to experience cravings, cognitive defusion, mindfulness training to interrupt automatic eating, and values work. These components are drawn from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999), a cognitive-behavioral therapy that has been gaining increasing attention and empirical support (Bach & Hayes, 2002; Bond & Bunce, 2000; Hayes et al. 2004). Though relatively new, acceptance-based strategies have demonstrated effectiveness in helping individuals to respond to unwanted thoughts and feelings (Hayes, Rissett, Korn, Zettle, Rosenfarb, Cooper, & Grundt, 1999, Keogh, Bond, Hanmer, & Tilston, 2005) and offer a novel alternative to control-based strategies (such as distraction and confrontation). Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to either the traditional behavioral therapy condition (SBT) or the acceptance-based behavioral therapy condition (ABT). Both conditions are delivered in group format. A total of 30, 75 minute sessions will take place over the course of 40 weeks. Specific Aims To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the treatment, and its short and moderate-term effectiveness relative to the current gold standard behavioral treatment (SBT). To evaluate the effectiveness of ABT with novice clinicians and with weight control experts. To evaluate the effectiveness of ABT would be moderated by mood disturbance, emotional eating, disinhibition or susceptibility to food stimuli.

CCRC: Effects of Partially Hydrolyzed Whey Peptides (PHWP) On Weight Loss In Individuals With The...
Metabolic SyndromeOverweightThe aim of this study is to compare the effects of two different protein supplements (partially hydrolyzed whey protein, PHWP vs. partially hydrolyzed gelatin, PHG) on weight loss in obse individuals with metabolic syndrome (METS). These two supplements will contain equal amounts of protein but differ considerably in their amino acid contents. Whey protein is rich in essential amino acids whereas gelatin is rich in proline. In obese individuals with METS, the hypotheses are: PHWP will augment fat-mass loss and increase lean-mass to fat-mass ration more than PHG. PHWP will improve insulin action more than PHG. PHWP will decrease cardiovascular disease risk more than PHG.