Overweight and Obese Women

The study will be a randomized, double-blind, 17-day metabolic intervention trial including 14 days of high-dose or low-dose iron supplementation. A total of 70 overweight or obese (OW/OB) women will be enrolled. Participants will be individually randomized into either the high-iron or low-iron group. Women in the low-iron group will receive 15 mg of iron as ferrous fumarate daily for 14 days, while women in the high-iron group will receive 195 mg of iron as ferrous sulfate daily for 14 days. The study consists of three visits in total. On Day 0, a fasting blood sample will be collected and an OGTT will be performed, with additional blood samples collected at 1 hour and 2 hours post-OGTT. The OGTT will be repeated on Day 14, after 14 days of oral iron supplementation, and again on Day 17, four days after oral iron supplementation has been stopped

This study will investigate whether beta-glucan supplementation, when added to an energy and carbohydrate-restricted diet, facilitates body weight and body fat loss, and leads to less detrimental changes in subjective appetite and gastrointestinal appetite hormones. This will be a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial in which healthy females living with overweight and obesity will be randomly assigned to a beta-glucan or a cellulose (placebo) group (1:1 basis). The randomisation software will be used to generate a randomisation list. This list will be held by a person independent of the research team. During the 4-week intervention, participants will consume an energy and carbohydrate-restricted diet combined with 9 g/day of beta-glucan (beta-glucan group) or 9 g/day of cellulose (Placebo group). During the 4-week intervention, breakfasts and dinners will consist of energy-restricted meal replacements providing 200 kcal/ meal, while lunches will be low-carbohydrate meals providing 35% of habitual energy intake. Before and at the end of the intervention, participants will conduct an experimental trial, with pre- and post-intervention trials being identical. The experimental trials will take place in the metabolic room of the New Lister Building (NLB) of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. During the experimental trials, body weight and body composition will be measured in the fasted state, and the collection of fasting and postprandial (for the duration of 240 minutes) blood samples will be conducted. For a meal, participants will consume the low-calorie breakfast, which will be a liquid meal replacement (Cambridge Weight Plan, Corby, UK), together with 3 g of beta-glucan. Subjective appetite scores will be measured in the fasted and postprandial states. To achieve total body water and thus body composition (fat mass and fat-free mass) measurements, saliva will be collected before and 3 and 3.5 hours after consumption of D2O (which will be consumed in the fasted state). For the duration of 24 hours before the experimental trial, participants will be asked to avoid coffee and alcohol. Participants will be required to record their food and drink intake for three days before the trial days of each experimental investigation.

The goal of this study is to examine the impact of a diet high in fresh lean pork, compared to a plant-based diet, on cardiovascular function and vasomotor symptoms in perimenopausal women with overweight and obesity. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. How does a diet high in pork, compared to a plant-based diet, affects blood lipids, endothelial function, and blood pressure? 2. How does a diet high in pork, compared to a plant-based diet, affects blood nitrate, cardiometabolic biomarkers, inflammatory biomarkers, and vasomotor symptoms? Researchers will compare the diet high in pork to a plant-based diet to see if pork helps improve cardiovascular and mesopause symptoms. Participants will: * Consume both of the diets, each for 4 weeks, with a washout period between 2 and 6 weeks in between the diets trials * Visit the clinic 5 times with weekly meal pick ups during the diet trials * Undergo testing procedures including: weight and body composition, blood pressure and pulse, endothelial function using ultrasound of upper arm, microvascular blood flow, blood draws, physical activity measurements, and questionnaires.

Obesity has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an abnormal accumulation of fat in the body that negatively affects health and has been reported to be the most significant public health problem of the 21st century. In the late 1990s, WHO described obesity as a "global epidemic." This epidemic and its associated complications cause the death of 2.8 million adults annually. Additionally, obesity imposes a significant financial burden on countries' healthcare and social security systems. Therefore, obesity stands out as an issue that requires urgent preventive measures. Obesity is associated with various abnormalities in respiratory functions. Changes in respiratory system mechanics due to decreased lung volumes indicate a strong link between obesity and chronic respiratory diseases. Furthermore, obesity is a risk factor for conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. Yoga is known to have numerous positive effects on health and can provide significant benefits, particularly in improving respiratory functions. Yoga is also an important tool for coping with stress, which can positively influence the respiratory system. It has been reported that yoga reduces the impact of stress on respiratory rate, promoting deep breathing and relaxation. Some studies on the effects of yoga on obesity have not reached significant conclusions. A study comparing the effects of Vinyasa and Hatha yoga on obesity management found that neither type had a significant effect on metabolism. These studies fail to fully explain the mechanism by which yoga affects obesity due to differences in yoga styles and their lack of standardization, variations in practice durations, and the differing characteristics of study populations. Furthermore, studies on obesity and yoga often have short intervention durations (an average of 8 weeks), with most involving 60-90 minute sessions conducted 1-2 times per week. Since longer-term studies are needed to better understand the relationship between obesity and yoga, this study aims to investigate the effects of yoga exercises on body composition, respiratory parameters, functional level, sleep quality, quality of life, and emotional state in overweight and obese women.