MetFlex will be recruiting participants for 2 different groups.
Study qualifications
Group 1:
- Men and women
- Ages 18-50 (prefer age 35 and lower)
- BMI between 25-30
- No diagnosed cardiovascular disease or diabetes
- No weight fluctuations exceeding +/- 5% in the previous 3 months
- No smoking or use of inhaled substances
- No current or recurrent use of a diet regimen within the last 3 months
- No hypertension
Group 3:
- Women only
- Ages 18-50
- BMI <50
- No diagnosed cardiovascular disease or diabetes
- No smoking or use of inhaled substances
- Planning to have bariatric surgery
Would you like to calculate your own BMI? Click here.
Number of visits
- Group 1 will have a total of 6 visits, totaling approximately 18 hours of participation.
- Group 3 will have a total of 3 visits, totaling approximately 11 hours of participation.
General procedures for both groups
- Completion of health history, participant questionnaire, and 2019 PAR-Q+
- Height and weight
- Blood pressure
- Fasting blood draw
- Euglycemic/hyperinsulinemic clamp (groups 1-2): measures how much carbohydrates your body uses after fasting and after eating a meal
- Basal metabolism studies (group 3): measures carbohydrate use in the body
- Muscle biopsies: examines skeletal muscle
- Indirect calorimetry: measures how much energy your body uses
- Microdialysis: measures muscle metabolism
- Near-infrared spectroscopy: measures oxygen consumption of muscle
Additional procedures based on group placement
- DXA scan: measures body composition such as fat and lean tissue
- 3D infrared scanning: measures body shape
- VO2max test on an ergometer: measures aerobic capacity
- REE and RER: measures what kind of fuel your body uses at rest and during exercise
- High-fat feeding: helps determine how individuals respond to a diet with a higher percentage of fat
- Diet recall on MyFitnessPal
If you have any additional questions, please contact Dr. Terry Jones at 252-744-6249. We want everyone to feel comfortable with all procedures and to feel welcomed by all the investigators and staff.