Tempe, AZ (PRWEB) August 3, 2005
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences is now enrolling patients interested in participating in a clinical trial to test the weight and heart health effects of a low-carbohydrate diet. The trial will be conducted for a period of 3-months and is sponsored by both Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences and The Institute for Human Individuality.
The rising level of obesity in the United States has increased significantly over the past 20 years, contributed to by changes in food consumption and growing sedentary lifestyles. Approximately 23 percent of Americans are obese. An additional 36 percent are overweight. A recent U.S. Surgeon General report declared that obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths every year. These overwhelming research statistics reveal an alarming obesity trend, the need for diagnosis, and a call to action. This disturbing trend has both health and economic consequences and has drawn the attention of both the medical community and the general population. Along with the increasing awareness of this problem has come an interest in the safety and efficacy of various diet interventions and treatments. At the forefront of attention are low-carbohydrate (LC) diets. Studies examining LC diets have shown conflicting reports, but when low-carb diets are strictly followed more evidence points towards successful weight loss and improvements in certain cardiovascular risk factors.
The study will examine the effects of a 3-month low carbohydrate diet and correlations with ABO blood types. The goal of the proposed study is to examine one possibility for the conflicting datao genetic variability based on ABO blood type polymorphisms. Overweight individuals between the ages of 40-64 may be eligible to participate in this clinical trial. Participants will receive free reading material about a low-carbohydrate diet as well as free physical examinations and blood work before and after the 3-month study period.
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine will conduct the clinical trial with support from Southwest College Research Institute. For more information, please call 480-858-9643, extension 5152 or respond by e-mail to research@scnm.edu.
About Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences
Located in Tempe, AZ and founded in 1993, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences is an accredited higher learning institution. It offers a four-year medical program that trains students to become primary care physicians. Naturopathic medicine emphasizes the bodys innate ability to self-heal. It draws on a rich history of natural, non-toxic therapies in combination with current medical advances. The scope of practice includes all aspects of family and primary care using integrative and complementary treatment modalities such as acupuncture, homeopathy, clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, manipulation and pharmacology. For more information, visit http://www.scnm.edu.
