Obesity
Conditions
Brief summary
The human gut microbiota has become the subject of extensive research in recent years, particularly in regards to the role it plays in obesity. Although lifestyle factors, diet, and lack of exercise contribute largely to this obesity epidemic, there is increasing evidence that the human gut microbiota also influences weight gain. The investigators hope to learn more information about the change in gut microbiota, especially with regards to those who are successful with weight loss, versus those who don't lose weight, after participating in a lifestyle modification program at the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center (DAHLC).
Detailed description
The gut microbiome is altered in obesity and is being increasingly studied given its role in energy harvest and fat storage with the hopeful goal of discovering a modifiable intervention to affect obesity and its consequences. Mouse models have already shown that transplantation of an obese microbiota into germ-free mice yields increased adiposity compared to transplantation of a lean microbiota. In humans, initial studies looked at the relative proportion of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in obese versus lean individuals and then followed those obese individuals who lost weight on low-calorie diets. The relative proportion of Bacteroidetes was decreased in obese people, and this then increased with weight loss. While certainly provocative, the findings were not consistently reproduced. Subjects will include members of the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center (DAHLC) program or the Healthy Living Program (HLP) at Mayo Clinic Rochester, who are seeking advice for weight management concerns.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALLifestyle Counseling
Participation in weekly group sessions over a period of 10 weeks, with information on healthy nutrition and exercises promoting weight loss
OTHERControls Group
Subjects not participating in any lifestyle counseling
Sponsors
Mayo Clinic
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Adults aged 18 and above; * Subjects who are overweight or obese (BMI of 25 or greater); * DAHLC/HLP eligible members who are able to access DAHLC support services;
Exclusion criteria
* Known diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, microscopic colitis, celiac disease or other inflammatory conditions; * Antibiotic use within the past 4 weeks (they can be enrolled after a four week washout period and subsequent use during the 6 month study duration does not exclude them); * Bowel preparation for colonoscopy within the past week; * Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant within the study time frame; * Vulnerable Adults; * Any other disease(s), condition(s) or habit(s) that would interfere with completion of the study, or in the judgment of the investigator would potentially interfere with compliance to this study or would adversely affect study outcomes;
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in weight loss | baseline to 6 months | enrolled in exercise program |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in gut microbiota | Baseline to 6 months | Gut microbiota, fecal metabolites will be identified using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in the CTSA metabolomics core following extraction of fecal water samples |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed