Testing the Adipose Expandability Hypothesis In Vivo During Overfeeding

Adipose, or fat, tissue is a plastic organ that retains the ability to expand and store excess calories during positive energy balance in humans. The capacity of subcutaneous (subQ) adipose tissue to expand and remodel is an important determinant of obesity-related health complications, and impaired expansion of subQ fat tissue is thought to contribute to the risk of diseases such as the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). The objectives of the study are to evaluate the changes and mechanisms of (subQ) adipose tissue expandability that occur as a result of short-term weight gain and to investigate the effects on cardio-metabolic health outcomes. Findings from this study will provide new insight into the dynamics of adipose expansion and remodeling during changes in energy balance and how this may impact future fat tissue function and metabolic health.

NCT Number	NCT04583514
Lead Sponsor	Pennington Biomedical Research Center Collaborators: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Conditions	Overweight and Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome
Enrollment	58 participants
Start Date	2020-09-15
Primary Completion	2026-12-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-12-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-04-08