Health & Wellness Research Study
Researchers at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center are observing the changes that occur in fat tissue as a result of weight gain and loss and its effects on one’s health.
Fast Facts
Currently overweight and willing to go through short term changes in body weight
18-42
Years Old
Compensation
Provided Up To $1255
Conducted in
Baton Rouge, LA
Study Background
This study explores how short-term weight gain and loss affect fat tissue and overall health.
Researchers are working to better understand what happens inside the body during weight cycling, a common pattern where people gain a few pounds and then lose them again. Although weight fluctuations are common, the effects on fat tissue development, inflammation, and metabolic health are not fully known. Studying these changes can help clarify how the body responds to temporary shifts in energy balance.
Participants in this study will either maintain their current weight or take part in an 8-week, closely monitored overfeeding period followed by a weight-loss phase. Through detailed measurements and two overnight inpatient stays, the research team will examine how fat tissue adapts and how these changes may influence overall health. Your involvement can help advance understanding of weight cycling and its impact on the body.
Study Background
This study explores how short-term weight gain and loss affect fat tissue and overall health.
Researchers are working to better understand what happens inside the body during weight cycling, a common pattern where people gain a few pounds and then lose them again. Although weight fluctuations are common, the effects on fat tissue development, inflammation, and metabolic health are not fully known. Studying these changes can help clarify how the body responds to temporary shifts in energy balance.
Participants in this study will either maintain their current weight or take part in an 8-week, closely monitored overfeeding period followed by a weight-loss phase. Through detailed measurements and two overnight inpatient stays, the research team will examine how fat tissue adapts and how these changes may influence overall health. Your involvement can help advance understanding of weight cycling and its impact on the body.
Additional Information
You may be eligible for this study if you meet the following criteria.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Ages 18-42
- Currently overweight and willing to go through short term changes in body weight
- No history of type 1 or 2 diabetes, PCOS, HIV, hepatitis B or C
- No recent history of cancer
- BMI between 22.5-35.5
- Willing to stay overnight at Pennington Biomedical on 2 occasions
Total participation lasts about 9 months. Once enrolled, participants will be randomly assigned to either a control (weight stable) or overfeeding group. Those in the overfeeding group will partake in an 8-week overfeeding (weight gain) intervention, followed by a weight loss component. Individuals in the control group will remain weight stable during the study.
Study procedures include:
- 1 screening visit and 11 study visits
- Blood draws
- Drinking doubly labeled water to measure the number of calories burned
- Drinking heavy water to study the fat cells
- Dietary intervention
- Fat biopsies
- DXA scans (to measure the amount of fat, muscle, and bone in the body)
- MRI and MRS scans (to measure the amount of fat in the abdomen and in the liver)
- Insulin Sensitivity Test
- Overnight stays at PBRC on 2 occasions
There is no cost for you to participate in our research study.