Medical Research Studies For Weight Loss In Cincinnati, Ohio

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) maintains a website that lists all of the FDA-appoved clinical research studies in all 50 states as well as NIH-funded studies overseas. In Cinncinnati, both interventional and observational clinical trials of weight loss and weight-loss prevention drugs, surgeries, diets and behavior modifications have taken place. In addition to the clinically obese, weight loss and weight-loss prevention has been studied in teenagers, diabetics, HIV patients, cancer patients and lung disease patients.

Comorbidity Associated Weight Loss

Most of Cincinnati's weight-loss studies have target populations with comorbidities for which weight loss is either a danger--such as cancer patients--or a vital necessity like type II diabetic subjects. The weight loss of comorbid populations includes studies of subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, dyslipidemias, diabetes and HIV. All of these studies have concluded except for one, which is not recruiting but is actively looking at how changes in HIV antiretroviral therapy may affect fat wasting in the arms and legs. This condition of disproportionate fat wasting is also known as lipodystrophy.

Experimental Weight Loss Drugs

Experimental weight loss drugs studied specifically in Cincinnati's obese populations include liraglutide, rimonabant, naltrexone and bupropion SR, pramlintide acetate, Amylin Pharmaceuticals drug, AC 2307, Pfizer drug, CE-326 and velneperit. Although two of these studies are active, none is recruiting new participants.

Studies of Weight Loss Surgeries

A common and often insured means of weight loss is bariatric surgery. Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cinncinnati, is currently recruiting adolescents scheduled to have bariatric surgery in order to study the long-term health benefits and risks to the teenage population. So important is the study of teen bariatric surgery long-term care that the same hospital is inviting some patients to enroll in a separate follow-up study.

Studies of Weight Loss Diets and Behavior Modifications

Studies of persons on diets and enrolled in exercise programs are called observational studies. These differ because they are more passive as opposed to interventional studies in which drugs and/or surgery are introduced for change. Currently, only users of Nestle's OPTIFAST weight management program are being invited for observation at Cinncinati's Jewish Hospital Weight Management Center. Results from concluded trials are available on the NIH clinical trial web site. Past studies looked at the effects of a ketogenic diet on weight loss and nutrition changes for pediatric obese subjects.

Studies of Weight Loss Prevention

Studies of weight loss include studies of interventions to prevent further weight loss in compromised populations. None of these trials are actively recruiting or inviting participants but published results are available. The drug, nandrolone decanoate, was given to women with HIV associated weight loss and the effect of high-protein supplementation in HIV patients with stable weight loss has been studied.