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ObesityHEPNCT01636635

Effect of Age and Weight Loss on Inflammation and Iron Homeostasis

A study testing Calorie Restriction in people with Obesity and Aging, run by Tufts University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of aging and weight loss on iron status and immune response in obese women. Iron deficiency and immune impairment are two of the numerous complications of obesity. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Obesity, Aging
What is being tested?
Calorie Restriction
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
44 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Mar 2011to Nov 2013
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • Women only
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Enrolling patients in the Weight and Wellness Center (WWC) at Tufts Medical Center, part of their Tufts Employees, low calorie diet (LCD) or pre-surgical low calorie diet (PS-LCD) program, or enrolling at WWC as individual patients.
  • BMI in the range of 30 to 55 kg/m2.
  • Either ages 18-45 or >60.

Who cannot join

  • Pregnancy.
  • Weight reduction greater than or equal to 3% in the past 3 months.
  • Prior gastric restrictive surgery.
  • Weight loss medications within the 4 weeks prior to screening.
  • History of eating disorder.
  • Renal disease (serum creatinine >2mg/dl).
Show all 14Show fewer
  • Hepatic disease, except for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
  • Celiac disease, or any kind of intestinal malabsorption disorders.
  • Gastrointestinal cancer.
  • Hereditary hemochromatosis, or any blood disorders.
  • Chronic infectious or inflammatory disease.
  • Use of immunosuppressants.
  • Severe iron deficiency anemia (hemoglobin<8 g/dl) or other conditions that would prevent them from discontinuing iron supplement use.
  • Unwilling to discontinue iron supplement intake. The dietary plan recommended by the WWC will include daily intake of iron that meets the iron RDA for the subject's gender and age group, therefore discontinuing iron supplement will not be harmful for the participants. Intake of other supplements will not be an exclusion criteria, as long as it stays constant throughout the study period.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • JM USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02111

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Effect of Age and Weight Loss on Obesity-related Inflammation and Iron Homeostasis in Women

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of aging and weight loss on iron status and immune response in obese women. Iron deficiency and immune impairment are two of the numerous complications of obesity. The central hypothesis is that obesity-induced inflammation causes lower iron status through decreased iron absorption and availability in young and older obese women. Furthermore, the investigators hypothesize that this can be corrected with weight loss in both young and older obese women.

Read the detailed description

Obese individuals have chronic inflammation, higher risk of iron deficiency, and impaired immune response. These are conditions seen also with aging, but it is unknown to what extent they may be further impacted by obesity in the elderly. With this study the investigators aim to establish the mechanism by which weight loss may reduce inflammation and enhance iron status in young and older obese adults through the peptide hormone hepcidin, which regulates iron homeostasis. The investigators also aim to identify a possible link between iron homeostasis and immune response through hepcidin, which has been implicated in T cell mediated immunity. The investigators hypothesize that obesity-induced inflammation causes dysregulation of hepcidin expression leading to lower iron status through decreased iron absorption and availability in young and older adults. Furthermore, the investigators hypothesize that hepcidin dysregulation, and thus iron status can be mitigated with weight loss in both young and older obese adults. This hypothesis will be tested in obese young and older women undergoing weight loss through calorie restriction. Change in iron status, inflammation, and hepcidin will be determined before and after weight loss. Further, the impact of inflammatory environment of obesity on peripheral blood mononuclear cell hepcidin, ferroportin, intracellular iron, and T cell function in young and older adults will be determined. This study will address two important public health problems, i.e. obesity and iron deficiency and will be an important step toward the identification of strategies to enhance health of obese young and older adults.

Conditions
Obesity, Aging
Being tested
Calorie Restriction
Medical subject headings
Obesity

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Calorie RestrictionOther

    Intervention consists of a calorically restricted diet regime designed and administered at the Weight and Wellness Center at Tufts University

Study groups in NCT01636635
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Young (18-45 years)Active comparatorObese young women (18-45y) undergoing calorie restriction.
Receives: Other: Calorie Restriction
Older (>60 years)ExperimentalObese older women (>60y) undergoing calorie restriction.
Receives: Other: Calorie Restriction

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in serum hepcidin

    The investigators will determine the change in hepcidin at baseline and after 12-16 weeks of calorie restriction.

    Measured: Baseline and 12-16 weeks

  2. Change in inflammation (CRP, IL-6)

    The investigators will determine the change in inflammation at baseline and after 12-16 weeks of calorie restriction.

    Measured: Baseline and 12-16 weeks

  3. Change in iron status

    The investigators will determine the change in iron status at baseline and after 12-16 weeks of calorie restriction.

    Measured: Baseline and 12-16 weeks

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Change in PBMC intracellular iron content

    Measured: Baseline and 12-16 weeks

  2. Change in PBMC Hepcidin expression

    Measured: Baseline and 12-16 weeks

  3. Change in PBMC ferroportin expression

    Measured: Baseline and 12-16 weeks

  4. Change in PBMC subpopulations and proliferation

    After stimulation with ConA, PHA and anti-CD3/CD28

    Measured: Baseline and 12-16 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Jul 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2011
  3. Primary completionNov 2013
  4. Study completionNov 2013

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
44 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01636635
Sponsor's protocol ID
2765
Acronym
HEP
Status last verified
Nov 2015
First submitted
26 Jan 2012
Last updated
16 Nov 2015
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Calorie Restriction in people with Obesity and Aging, run by Tufts University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 14 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Nov 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in serum hepcidin (time frame: Baseline and 12-16 weeks). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 16 Nov 2015.

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