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Low Oxygen Exposure and Weight Status
Effects of Daily Low Oxygen Exposure on Weight Status, Body Composition, and Metabolic Health
Who can join
Ages 22 to 65 · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Obese (BMI between 30-39.9 kg/m2) * Born at altitudes below 2,100 meters (\~7,000 feet) * Currently residing in Tallahassee, Florida or surrounding area * Completed a full FDA authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccination series at least 14 days before any in-person human research activity. * Not taking any medication(s) that interfere with oxygen delivery/transport for 4 weeks prior to and throughout the entire study (e.g., includes sedatives, sleeping aids, tranquilizers and/or any medication that depresses ventilation, diuretics, alpha and beta blockers). * Willing to refrain from smoking, vaping, chewing tobacco, and dietary supplement use throughout the entire study. * Willing to have a hypoxic tent set-up in their home and spend 8 consecutive hours per night in the tent for 8 weeks * Lives with a family member, partner/spouse, or roommate who can hear and respond in the unlikely event that the blood oxygen, air oxygen, or air carbon dioxide monitoring alarm would sound. Exclusion Criteria: * Living in areas that are more than 1,200 m (\~4,000 feet), or have traveled to areas that are more than 1,200 m for five days or more within the last 2 months * Individuals who have not completed a full FDA authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccination series at least 14 days before any in-person human research activity. * Cardiovascular abnormalities, gastrointestinal disorders, or any condition that interferes with oxygen delivery/transport (e.g., kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, etc.) * Oxygen saturation \< 95% while awake or oxygen saturation dips below 88% for a total of ≥ 10 min overnight in normoxic conditions * Evidence of apnea or other sleeping disorders * Evidence of prior high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) or high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) diagnosis * Diagnosis or family history of sickle cell anemia/trait * Hematocrit \<42% for males, \<36% for females * Hemoglobin \<13 g/dL for males, \<12 g/dL for females * Blood donation within 8 weeks of beginning the study * Present condition of alcoholism, anabolic steroids, or other substance abuse issues * Women who are pregnant, lactating, planning to become pregnant, or who have had an irregular menstrual cycle in the past 6 mo. * Weight gain or loss \> 10% of body weight during the past 6 months * Adults unable to consent
About the study
The objective of the proposed double-blind, parallel-arm, randomized clinical trial is to evaluate changes in body weight and composition, assess determinants of energy balance (intake and expenditure), and measure modulators of energy balance, following 8 wk of calorie restriction (-500 kcal/d) in combination with either overnight exposure to normobaric hypoxia (8 h/night, 15% FiO2, \~2640 m) or normoxia (8 h/night, 21% FiO2), using a commercially available, in-home tent system, in adults with obesity.
What is being tested
- Normobaric hypoxia (NH) (other)
- Normobaric normoxia (NN) (other)
Sponsor: Pennington Biomedical Research Center · Participants: 60 · Started: May 16, 2023
Contact the study team
- Claire E. Berryman, PhD, RD · Phone: 3042161050
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT05289310
Locations in the U.S.
| Louisiana | Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.