NCT02399423: GlasVEGAS

The GlasVEGAS Study (Glasgow Visceral & Ectopic Fat With Weight Gain in South AsianS)

Completed NA Last updated 18 September 2023

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Weight gain in Diabetes in 35 participants. Completed in 4 July 2018.

Timeline

11 March 2015

Primary endpoint
8 March 2018

4 July 2018

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of Glasgow
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	non randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	none
Primary purpose	other
Enrollment	35
Start date	11 March 2015
Primary completion	8 March 2018
Estimated completion	4 July 2018
Sites	1 location across United Kingdom

Drugs / interventions tested

• Weight gain
• Weight loss — full drug profile →

Conditions studied

• Diabetes — all drugs for Diabetes →
• Weight Gain — all drugs for Weight Gain →
• Weight Loss — all drugs for Weight Loss →
• Cardiovascular Disease — all drugs for Cardiovascular Disease →

Sponsor

University of Glasgow

Who can join

Adults 18 to 45, male only, with Diabetes or Weight Gain. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

South Asians have a much higher risk of diabetes compared to Europeans and investigators don't know why this is. Investigators think that South Asians' capacity to store fat safely under the skin is lower than Europeans, so they start to store fat around internal organs and in liver and muscle, and at lower body weights than Europeans. These increased levels of internal fat storage are thought to increase risk of diabetes.

The purpose of the study therefore is to investigate whether there are differences with weight gain and weight loss in fat storage, fat cell function and metabolic risk factors, in South Asians compared with Europeans. Investigators will compare South Asian and European men at the start of the study, after they have gained about 7% body weight, and again after they have lost 7-15% body weight (from peak weight) to see how gaining and losing weight affects fat storage within the body and the function of fat cells. Investigators will also assess the effect of weight gain and weight loss on metabolism, fitness and risk factors for diabetes and heart disease.

Publications & conference data

3 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Weight gain leads to greater adverse metabolic responses in South Asian compared with white European men: the GlasVEGAS study.
   McLaren J, Gao X, Ghouri N, Freeman DJ, et al · · 2024 · cited 20× · PMID 39152223 · DOI 10.1038/s42255-024-01101-z
2. A Qualitative Study on Young Men's Experiences of Intentional Weight-Gain.
   Donnachie C, Sweeting H, Hunt K. · · 2023 · cited 1× · PMID 36834015 · DOI 10.3390/ijerph20043320
3. HDL protein composition differs between young white European and South Asian men before and after weight gain.
   Beazer JD, McLaren J, Christoffersen C, Ferraz MJ, et al · · 2025 · PMID 41416660 · DOI 10.1042/cs20258040