CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT06782009Updated Mar 27, 2026

Metabolic Impact on the Mitochondria-gut Microbiota Axis of Failure to Follow Restrictive Dietary Interventions in Subjects Living With Obesity

An interventional study of Calorie restriction and Intermittent fasting 16/8 in Obesity, sponsored by Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran. Completed at 2 sites in Mexico. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-27.

Sponsored by Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 1 year 9 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Apr 2023, registered Jan 2025).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
84
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Nutritional interventions with dietary restrictions have become highly popular for promoting weight and body fat loss; In addition, they are largely associated with the improvement and preservation of mitochondrial function as well as the changes they generate in the composition of the gut microbiota and microbial metabolites. During obesity, mitochondrial dysfunction in monocytes can increase low-grade inflammation and contribute to alterations in various metabolic tissues. There have been many studies that have been dedicated to describing the benefits and mechanisms of the use of restrictive interventions, but few have focused on further monitoring and evaluating the metabolic changes that occur due to the lack of follow-up of the use of these interventions, where subjects resume eating patterns with energy overload. behavior that happens in the vast majority of patients, so keeping mitochondria in good condition is a key aspect of maintaining health. The present project aims to study the metabolic changes that are generated by the lack of follow-up of restrictive dietary interventions, focusing on the effects produced in mitochondrial function evaluated in monocytes isolated from peripheral blood and the impact that the composition of the intestinal microbiota is generated from the metabolites produced, affecting as a consequence the inflammatory state of the host. A randomized controlled clinical trial will be carried out where the selected participants will be assigned by lottery to one of the 3 nutritional interventions for 8 weeks, then the participants will be followed up at 8, 16 and 24 weeks after the intervention has ended. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters, resting energy expenditure, blood pressure, oxidative stress markers, metabolomics, gut microbiota composition, and mitochondrial function will be evaluated during follow-up.

Read the detailed description

The study consists of an open-label randomized controlled clinical trial. The selected subjects will be men or women over 18 years of age with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2, who meet the selection criteria, the subjects who will be randomly assigned to one of 3 dietary intervention groups. The study consisted of a dietary intervention with a duration of 8 weeks and a follow-up of 24 weeks after dietary intervention.

The intervention groups will be as follows:

  1. Calorie-restricted diet: Dietary recommendations will be given restricting 30% in energy (kcal) according to their usual diet with normal macronutrient distribution (20-30% protein, 50-60% carbohydrates, 20-30% fats).
  2. Intermittent fasting diet: Dietary recommendations will be given according to the energy expenditure determined by indirect calorimetry with normal macronutrient distribution. Intermittent fasting will be used with a time-restricted model of 16:8. For 16 hours, they will not be able to eat or drink calories. In the other 8 hours, they need to adhere to the energy-restricted diet.
  3. Ketogenic diet: Recommendation will be given according to the energy expenditure determined by indirect calorimetry, with the following distribution of macronutrients: 20-25% protein, 5-10% carbohydrates, 70-80% fat.

Participants with calorie-restriction, intermittent fasting, or ketogenic diet dietary intervention will be provided with a food menu guide for fifteen days. After 8 weeks of the assigned intervention, patients will be provided with general dietary recommendations and will be invited to three more follow-up visits at 8, 16 and 24 weeks post-intervention. In addition, all participants will be provided with general recommendations for a physical activity plan for people living with obesity.

To evaluate adherence to treatment, participants will be asked to fill out 2 logbooks every two weeks (1 during the week and 1 for the weekend) in which they must record the type, amount and place where they consumed the food at each feeding time. They will also be called once a week for a 24-hour reminder. Participants on the ketogenic diet will be given test strips to measure ketones in urine.

02

Conditions studied

  • Obesity

Keywords

  • dietary restrictions
  • intermittent fasting
  • mitochondrial function
  • gut microbiota
  • ketogenic diet
03

In context

Obesity

6,296 studies on the registry are indexed under Obesity; 1,692 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 84 is close to the median of 78 across 4,878 interventional studies indexed under Obesity.

Browse Obesity studies →

Lead sponsor

Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran is the lead sponsor of 141 studies on the registry; 17 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Male and female.
  • Adults >18 years of age.
  • BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with any type of diabetes.
  • Patients with high blood pressure.
  • Patients with acquired diseases secondarily producing obesity and diabetes.
  • Patients who have suffered a cardiovascular event.
  • Patients who at the screening visit presented glucose values greater than 126 mg/dL, triglycerides greater than 350 mg/dL, cholesterol greater than 300mg/dL and/or creatinine greater than 1.2 mg/dL in men and greater than 1 mg/dL in women.
  • Patients with gastrointestinal diseases.
  • Weight loss > 3 kg in the last 3 months.
  • Catabolic diseases such as cancer and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
  • Pregnancy status.
  • Positive smoking.
  • History of major surgery requiring general or regional anesthesia, respiratory support, and involving a recovery time longer than 2 weeks, such as surgeries of the abdomen (bowel resection), chest, head, and neck.
  • Diagnosis of Anxiety and Depression as Determined by the HADS Scale
  • Drug treatment:
  • Antihypertensive drugs or treatment
  • Treatment with hypoglycemic agents or insulin and antidiabetic drugs.
  • Treatment with statins, fibrates or other drugs to control dyslipidemia.
  • Use of antibiotics in the three months prior to the study.
  • Use of steroid drugs, chemotherapy, immunosuppressants, or radiation therapy.
  • Anorexigenic or that accelerate weight loss such as sibutramine or orlistat.
  • Supplements with any of the functional foods used in the study.
  • Probiotic, prebiotic or symbiotic supplements.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Investigator)
Enrollment
84 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Calorie Restriction

    Participants will be provided with a food menu guide for fifteen days with a 30% energy restriction (kcal) according to their usual diet, with a macronutrient distribution of 20-30% protein, 50-60% carbohydrates and 20-30% fat.

    Other: Calorie restriction

  • Experimental
    Intermittent fasting 16/8

    Participants will be provided with a food menu guide for fifteen days with an energy intake according to the energy expenditure determined by indirect calorimetry with normal distribution of macronutrients. Intermittent fasting will be used with a time-restricted model of 16:8. For 16 hours, they will not be able to eat or drink calories. In the other 8 hours, they need to adhere to the energy-restricted diet.

    Other: Intermittent fasting 16/8

  • Experimental
    Ketogenic diet

    Participants will be provided with a food menu guide for 15 days with an energy intake according to the energy expenditure determined by indirect calorimetry, with the following distribution of macronutrients: 20-25% protein, 5-10% carbohydrates, 70-80% fat.

    Other: Ketogenic diet

Interventions

  • OtherCalorie restriction

    Participants will be provided with a food menu guide for fifteen days with a 30% energy restriction (kcal) according to their usual diet, with a macronutrient distribution of 20-30% protein, 50-60% carbohydrates and 20-30% fat.

  • OtherIntermittent fasting 16/8

    Participants will be provided with a food menu guide for fifteen days with an energy intake according to the energy expenditure determined by indirect calorimetry with normal distribution of macronutrients. Intermittent fasting will be used with a time-restricted model of 16:8. For 16 hours, they will not be able to eat or drink calories. In the other 8 hours, they need to adhere to the energy-restricted diet.

  • OtherKetogenic diet

    Participants will be provided with a food menu guide for 15 days with an energy intake according to the energy expenditure determined by indirect calorimetry, with the following distribution of macronutrients: 20-25% protein, 5-10% carbohydrates, 70-80% fat.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Mitochondrial function

    Change in mitochondrial function determined by measuring the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) in isolated monocytes

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Gut microbiota composition

    Change in gut microbiota composition determined by bacterial abundance obtained after taxonomy assignment.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16 and 32 weeks

  2. Body weight measurement

    Change in body weight determined by scale.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  3. Glucose concentration

    Change in glucose in the serum determined by autoanalyzer.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  4. Cholesterol concentration

    Change in cholesterol in the serum determined by autoanalyzer.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  5. HDL cholesterol concentration

    Change in HDL cholesterol in the serum determined by autoanalyzer.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  6. LDL cholesterol concentration

    Change in LDL cholesterol in the serum determined by autoanalyzer.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  7. Triglycerides concentration

    Change in triglycerides in the serum determined by autoanalyzer.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  8. Insulin concentration

    Change in insulin in the serum determined by ELISA kit.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  9. Leptin concentration

    Change in leptin in the serum determined by ELISA kit.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  10. Interleukins concentration

    Change in interleukins in the serum determined by ELISA kit.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  11. C-reactive protein concentration

    Change in C-reactive protein in the serum determined by autoanalyzer.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  12. TNF-a concentration

    Change in TNF-a in the serum determined by ELISA kit.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  13. Alpha diversity of gut microbiota

    Shanon index to indicate alpha diversity of gut microbiota from the feces

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16 and 32 weeks

  14. Beta diversity of gut microbiota

    Principal component analysis to indicate alpha diversity of gut microbiota from the feces

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16 and 32 weeks

  15. Fat mass percentage

    Fat mass percentage determined by multifrequency electrical bioimpedance.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  16. Lean mass percentage

    Lean mass percentage determined by multifrequency electrical bioimpedance.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  17. Skeletal muscle mass percentage

    Skeletal muscle mass percentage determined by multifrequency electrical bioimpedance.

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks

  18. Change of metabolites in serum

    Change of metabolites in serum determined by un-targeted metabolomics using Liquid chromatography/ Mass spectrometry analysis (LC/MS).

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16 and 32 weeks

  19. Change of metabolites in feces

    Change of metabolites in feces determined by un-targeted metabolomics using Liquid chromatography/ Mass spectrometry analysis (LC/MS).

    Time frame: baseline to 8, 16 and 32 weeks

  20. Determination of valvular function

    Doppler venous ultrasound will be performed with the MX7 equipment of the Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., LTD to determine the valvular function of the great saphenous vein, small saphenous vein, junction femoral saphenous vein, femoral vein, popliteal vein, measuring their dimensions and the level of venous reflux.

    Time frame: baseline to 8 weeks

07

Study locations

2 sites
  • Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran
    Mexico City, Tlalpan 14080, Mexico
  • Departamento de Fisiología de la Nutrición. Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán
    Mexico City, 14080, Mexico
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Guevara-Cruz M, Hernandez-Gomez KG, Condado-Huerta C, Gonzalez-Salazar LE, Pena-Flores AK, Pichardo-Ontiveros E, Serralde-Zuniga AE, Sanchez-Tapia M, Maya O, Medina-Vera I, Noriega LG, Lopez-Barradas A, Rodriguez-Lima O, Mata I, Olin-Sandoval V, Torres N, Tovar AR, Velazquez-Villegas LA. Intermittent fasting, calorie restriction, and a ketogenic diet improve mitochondrial function by reducing lipopolysaccharide signaling in monocytes during obesity: A randomized clinical trial. Clin Nutr. 2024 Aug;43(8):1914-1928. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.06.036. Epub 2024 Jul 5. PubMed 39003957 ↗
  • Guevara-Cruz M, Hernandez-Gomez KG, Condado-Huerta C, Gonzalez-Salazar LE, Pena-Flores AK, Pichardo-Ontiveros E, Serralde-Zuniga AE, Sanchez-Tapia M, Maya O, Medina-Vera I, Noriega LG, Lopez-Barradas A, Rodriguez-Lima O, Mata I, Olin-Sandoval V, Torres N, Tovar AR, Velazquez-Villegas LA. Reply - Letter to the editor- enhancing understanding of dietary interventions in obesity: Insights and recommendations for future research. Clin Nutr. 2024 Sep;43(9):2211-2213. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.08.006. Epub 2024 Aug 13. No abstract available. PubMed 39173436 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — Data may be shared after publication.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 27, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06782009
Lead sponsor
Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran
Responsible party
Laura Alejandra Velázquez Villegas (Investigadora en Ciencias Medicas, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 17, 2025
Start date
Apr 8, 2023
Primary completion
Dec 8, 2025
Completion
Dec 8, 2025
Last update
Mar 27, 2026

Study contacts

Laura A Velazquez Villegas, PhD
principal investigator · Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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