The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study: strategies for the analysis of biological specimens

The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study is a multi-center clinical trial designed to understand the physiological basis for observed variability in weight regain following intentional weight loss among US adults. The primary dependent variable is weight regain over one year following a 7% or greater supervised weight loss. The overarching design and study organization, along with rationale and history of the POWERS study and outcomes measures are described in accompanying papers. This paper provides the rationale for and description of biospecimens samples that will ultimately inform on the molecular and cellular basis of the physiological variability that contributes to the regulation of energy balance in the weight reduced state. Participants will be 205 healthy adults (n = 205), aged 25-59 years, with body mass index (BMI) 30- ≤ 40 kg/m<sup>2</sup>. Biospecimens will be collected prior to weight loss (baseline, BL), immediately following weight loss via lifestyle intervention (T0), and then four (T4) and twelve (T12) months after weight loss. Blood will be collected in the fasting state and following a meal challenge designed to induce hormones related to satiety. Weight change from T0 to T12 will be the primary outcome variable. Biospecimens to be collected include plasma, serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), DNA, urine, feces, adipose and skeletal muscle tissue. All samples will be biobanked at each site. This manuscript describes the rationale for the biospecimens chosen to assess contributors to homeostatic mechanisms that drive observed variability of weight regain after weight loss.

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Publication Details

Journal
International Journal of Obesity
Published
2026-02-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-025-01944-w
Primary Topic
Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study: strategies for the analysis of biological specimens

M. R. Rickels, Olive Zhu, Mars Scharf, Alexis O. Aparicio et al.
International Journal of Obesity
Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
article

The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study: strategies for the analysis of biological specimens

M. R. Rickels, Olive Zhu, Mars Scharf, Alexis O. Aparicio, Belle Sh, Kathryn Whyte, J. W. Gu, Yifei Sun, Payman L. Zamani, Bramaramba J. Kowtha, Deborah Lee Young-Hyman, G. Wu, Kubarah Ghias, Giada Benasi, Kelsey R. Leonard, Karin Foerde, Maren R. Laughlin, Heather B. Seid, Arden McMath, Melissa Fernando, Adam Czernuszenko, Matthew Hayes, Matthew Zourelias, Sai Krupa Das, M. Picard, Andrew J. Pelesko, Anna Zhou, David Hallam, Daaimah Dratsky, Tamara Haller, Rachel Saks, Nicholas Wellman, Andrew Howland, Agnes Wong, Wen Wen Yu, Cynthia Mikula, Alexis Gomez, Lindsay Herman, Michio Hirano, Abdus S. Wahed, Susan B. Roberts, Nathaniel Holmes, Roger A. Fielding, Joel Matos Nunez, Varsha Sayana, C. Kline, John M. Jakicic, Christina Mastracchio, Dympna Gallagher, Michael Rosenbaum, Rochelle Goldsmith, Kyle Burger, Susan Xiaoqin Lin, Kelly C. Allison, Stephanie S. Kelley, Christina Roberto, Yiying Zhang, Sophie Meierovich, Cassandra Demastus, Susan Yanovski, Gabrielle Grosso, Kirk I. Erickson, Lillian Chau, Charles LeDuc, Wendy C. King, Michael Lowe, Joel Nunez-Matos, NIH, Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Michael Rickles, Maxine Ashby-Thompson, Catherine Hambly, Michelle Horowitz, Janet Schebendach, John Speakman, Panayiotis V. Benos, Edward Williams, Rudolph L. Leibel, Laurel Mayer
article en

Abstract

The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study is a multi-center clinical trial designed to understand the physiological basis for observed variability in weight regain following intentional weight loss among US adults. The primary dependent variable is weight regain over one year following a 7% or greater supervised weight loss. The overarching design and study organization, along with rationale and history of the POWERS study and outcomes measures are described in accompanying papers. This paper provides the rationale for and description of biospecimens samples that will ultimately inform on the molecular and cellular basis of the physiological variability that contributes to the regulation of energy balance in the weight reduced state. Participants will be 205 healthy adults (n = 205), aged 25-59 years, with body mass index (BMI) 30- ≤ 40 kg/m<sup>2</sup>. Biospecimens will be collected prior to weight loss (baseline, BL), immediately following weight loss via lifestyle intervention (T0), and then four (T4) and twelve (T12) months after weight loss. Blood will be collected in the fasting state and following a meal challenge designed to induce hormones related to satiety. Weight change from T0 to T12 will be the primary outcome variable. Biospecimens to be collected include plasma, serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), DNA, urine, feces, adipose and skeletal muscle tissue. All samples will be biobanked at each site. This manuscript describes the rationale for the biospecimens chosen to assess contributors to homeostatic mechanisms that drive observed variability of weight regain after weight loss.

International Journal of Obesity
Dartmouth College (US), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US), Tufts University (US), National Institutes of Health (US), University of Pittsburgh (US), University of Aberdeen (GB), Columbia University Irving Medical Center (US), University of Florida (US), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (US), Office of Research Services (US), University of Kansas Medical Center (US), Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes (US), Office of Disease Prevention (US), University of Rochester (US), Drexel University (US), Columbia University (US), University of Pennsylvania (US)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Pennsylvania, National Institutes of Health, Agricultural Research Service, Office of Naval Research, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Center for Research Resources, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 62%
Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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