Scientists probe epigenetic secrets behind apple and pear body shapes
NCT ID NCT02728635
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how genes and fat cells differ in people with apple-shaped (belly fat) versus pear-shaped (hip and thigh fat) bodies. Researchers will use body scans and fat biopsies from 27 healthy adults to compare fat tissue at the molecular level. The goal is to better understand why fat distribution varies, which could lead to improved obesity treatments in the future.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this research could help explain why people store fat in different places, potentially pointing toward new ways to treat obesity-related health issues.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage observational study with only 27 participants, so findings may not apply broadly. It is not testing a treatment, so no direct health benefits are expected.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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27 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2016
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 45 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-45 years inclusive; * BMI 23-35 kg/m2 inclusive; * HbA1C \<6.0%; * Weight stable (± 3 kg) during the 3 months prior to enrollment; * Women must be \> 9 months post-partum; * Able to provide written, informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Postmenopausal women * Women with an oophorectomy * Fasting plasma glucose \> 126 mg/dL, or diagnosis with Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) * Untreated or symptomatic thyroid disease. * Aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase \> 3x upper limit of laboratory reference range, or known diagnosis of liver disease. * Creatinine \> 2x upper limit of laboratory reference range, or known diagnosis of kidney disease. * Uncontrolled hypertension (BP \> 140 systolic or \> 90 diastolic) * New onset (\<3 months on a stable regime) use of oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy. * History of drug or alcohol abuse (\> 3 drinks per day) within the last 5 years, or psychiatric disease prohibiting adherence to study protocol. Current drug use may be determine by plasma or urine drug screens. * History of cancer within the last 5 years (skin cancers, with the exception of melanoma, may be acceptable). * History of organ transplant. * Myocardial Infarction within the last 6 months. * Current treatment with blood thinners or antiplatelet medications that cannot be safely stopped for biopsy and testing procedures. * History of HIV, active Hepatitis B or C or tuberculosis * Presence of clinically significant abnormalities on EKG. * Current smokers (smoking within the past 3 months). * Use of any medications known to influence glucose, fat and/or energy metabolism within the last 3 months (eg. growth hormone therapy, glucocorticoids \[steroids\], etc.) * Other chronic or acute illness that might affect study results / interpretation in the opinion of the clinical * Other items related to procedural risk (outlined below) such as bleeding disorder, claustrophobia, etc. * Elevated high sensitivity c-reactive protein or known active infection. * There are some implants which are MR compatible (safe) but would cause artifacts which could obscure our ability to measure an organ, e.g. full braces may negate the ability to measure brain size.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes
Orlando, Florida, 32804, United States
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