Cardiometabolic Conditions

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether combining a six-month structured lifestyle intervention (physical activity and nutrition) with incretin-based weight-loss medication improves preservation of muscle mass and physical function in adults living with obesity, compared with medication alone, and to assess the feasibility of a collaborative hospital-community care model. This one-year pilot study will recruit 120 adults aged 18-70 years with obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m² or ≥27 kg/m² with at least one comorbidity) receiving routine obesity care at the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec - Université Laval. All participants will initiate physician-prescribed incretin-based therapy as part of standard care. The intervention group will receive medication plus a six-month structured lifestyle program delivered in collaboration with an exercise facility, including supervised strength-focused exercise and bi-monthly nutrition counseling, followed by a six-month consolidation phase. The control group will receive medication alone. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the medication-only group or the combined medication and lifestyle intervention group. Participants randomized in the medication only group will receive a personalized consult with both a registered dietician and kinesiologist at the end of the study.

Volunteers for the study are asked to participate in two laboratory sessions. In the first laboratory session, volunteers are asked to provide a blood sample which will be used to measure factors related to health. Participants also complete questionnaires related to demographic and health-related information and undergo evaluations of their body composition. In the second laboratory visit, participants are asked to have cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and inflammatory activity measured during a brief period of rest and during a short challenging psychological task. Participants will also complete questionnaires. The study is designed to examine the associations between experiences such as trauma and resiliency with changes in bodily systems during a challenge and current health.

Given the escalating high burdens of overeight and obesity, and related commobidies in Asia, Asian women with overweight/obesity is an important group for targeted intervention in promoting health and wellbeing. A study focused on Asian women at reproductive or early post-menopausal age can inform effective strategies for promoting healthy diet and lifetyle and for optimizing health not only among these women but also for their children and partners. The Mediterranean diet has beneficial effects on cardiometabolic and reproductive health. So far, evidence on the Mediterranean diet and its health benefits mostly come from Western populations. Studies evaluating health effects of Mediterranean diet in Asian population are scant. This study aims to investigate the beneficial effects of a healthy, Mediterranean-inspired localized diet (i.e., Asian-Mediterranean diet) on women's health, such as cardiometabolic health with potential mechanisms through modulating gut and brain health.