We are looking for volunteers to take part in a study which aims to investigate whether a variety of lifestyle, physical and physiological characteristics and genetic factors are related to levels of circulating appetite-regulating hormones.
A health screen questionnaire must be completed by each participant that volunteers to take part in the study. To take part you must meet the following criteria:
- Male or female
- 18 to 50 years
- Non-smoker
- No known medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, heart condition, uncontrolled exercise-induced asthma)
- Not taking any medication that might influence appetite, fat metabolism or blood glucose
- No musculoskeletal injury that has affected normal ambulation within the last month
- No known food allergies.
Participating in this study will require three visits to the research laboratories at the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine at Loughborough University. All sessions will be arranged at a time that is convenient for you. Each visit is described below:
Visit 1 – preliminary visit (1 hour): includes questionnaires about health, physical activity and eating behaviour; body composition assessment and fitness test on the treadmill
Visit 2 – MRI scan (30 min): the scan will determine how much fat is stored around the abdominal organs
Visit 3 – meal test (4 hours): the participant will be asked to come to the laboratory after consuming a standardised meal the previous evening and having fasted for 10 hours. This visit includes resting metabolic rate assessment, a computer-based task to measure food preference, a breakfast meal, venous blood samples and appetite questionnaires.
After completion of the study, you will receive feedback on your own results (body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity and sleep patterns, genotype for specific genes that influence appetite, and levels of appetite hormones and cardiovascular disease risk markers).
If you are interested in being involved in the study, or for further information, please contact Fernanda Reistenbach-Goltz