Adding leptin to the body when the hormone amount drops may prevent slowed metabolism, and result in an increased rate of weight loss. Dr. Zolotov works in the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics at Rockefeller University, headed by Marilyn M. Simpson Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Jeffrey Friedman. He studies the hormone along with the neurobiological and other hormonal processes that regulate body weight. Body mass index is a measurement that gauges a person's weight in relation to their height to determine total body fat. Recent federal estimates indicate that 55 percent of American adults, or 97 million, are either overweight or obese.
Obesity is a growing problem every year in the United States.
Health risks such as increased propensity to heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure are associated with being overweight. The new study lasts approximately 20 weeks. During the first nine weeks volunteers must stay at the Rockefeller University Hospital, but may be approved to go to school or work by study investigators. Participants will be placed on a free, supervised low-calorie diet for the entire duration of the study. They will also be provided with either leptin or a placebo drug treatment while dieting.