Minnesota Obesity Center

The mission ofthe Minnesota Obesity Center is to find ways to prevent weight gain, and the onset of obesity and complications of obesity. Obesity is a major source of illness and death, and is the most common nutritional ailment in the United States. Little is known about effective measures to prevent obesity. Obese individuals can more easily lose weight than maintain the loss. Prevention of initial weight gain should be emphasized, and failing that, prevention of regain after weight loss. Four goals are established: 1) find the underlying problems that lead to obesity, 2) identify behaviors that lead to obesity and find ways to help change those behaviors, 3) seek means to prevent obesity-related co-morbidities and 4) determine public health and public policy measures that will reduce the frequency and severity of obesity. The Center will promote studies directed at these aims by: assisting principal investigators in conducting relevant research by providing resources through the core system; stimulating new interest and collaborations in research into obesity, eating disorders and energy metabolism; supporting new research in these areas related to obesity; and supporting education in obesity and eating disorders in the academic and public communities. The research base consists of 75 investigators with 137 funded projects generating over 34 million dollars per year in grant support. Five cores are proposed: 1) Administration will provide vision, leadership, and oversight of other core activities, 2) Molecular and Cellular Basis of Obesity Core will assist investigators pursuing research projects on the fundamental mechanisms that control or affect adiposity and energy metabolism, 3) Disordered Eating Assessment Core will assist in the assessment of disordered eating and other psychopathology, and the development of interventions for such disordered eating, 4) Epidemiology and Intervention Core is to make high quality services for epidemiological and behavioral intervention studies available, 5) Metabolic Studies Core Laboratory will provide access to established and state-of-the-art methods for studying energy metabolism and nutrient partitioning at the whole body level. Resources for oilot/feasibilitv proiects and an educational program will be established.