Dr. Srividya Kidambi, assistant professor of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Clinical Nutrition in the Department of Medicine at The Medical College of Wisconsin, seeks participants for a clinical study. Dr. Kidambi is recruiting 240- African American men and women for a study exploring body fat distribution and blood flow. People with high body fat, particularly around the belly, are in danger of developing heart disease. However, not everyone with obesity will develop heart disease.
This study will measure body fat and body fat distribution using MRI scan. Researchers will then evaluate the ability of participants’ blood vessels to expand and contract. Elasticity in blood vessels is a good measure of vessel health; stiff vessels are harbingers of cardiovascular disease.
More than 50 percent of African American women are obese; however, the rate of heart disease in African American women is significantly lower than the rate in African American men. Researchers hope to show that blood vessel function is better among African American women, and hypothesize those better functioning vessels are due to higher amounts of fat under the skin than in the belly. “If we show that obesity does not affect every individual in the same manner then it may also mean that weight loss may not have a significant effect in reducing heart disease among African American women,” Dr. Kidambi said. “It may also mean that some types of fat could be protective. The results from our study will allow doctors to offer more effective treatment strategies to this particular group of patients.”
For more information about this clinical trial, call Dr. Kidambi’s office at 414-456-7472.
