The Physiologic Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Sarcopenic Obesity

Summary

Obesity is highly prevalent in older adults and is a major cause of sarcopenia and disability in older adults. Although exercise can counteract the effects of obesity and sarcopenia, many have difficulty adhering to an exercise program and the benefits of exercise are variable. Therefore, there is an urgent need to test novel pharmacologic interventions to prevent disability and loss of independence. Oxytocin is a pituitary hormone released during parturition and lactation that is also known to suppress appetite in rodents and humans; and, recent small studies have found that intranasal oxytocin reduces body weight in adults. We propose a pilot study of intranasal oxytocin as a novel approach to promote weight loss and increase muscle mass in older subjects with sarcopenic obesity.

Timeline

Start

2017-09-22

Primary completion

2018-12-17

Completion

2019-12-17

Publications

• Results Espinoza SE, Lee JL, Wang CP, Ganapathy V, MacCarthy D, Pascucci C, Musi N, Volpi E. Intranasal Oxytocin Improves Lean Muscle Mass and Lowers LDL Cholesterol in Older Adults with Sarcopenic Obesity: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2021 Sep;22(9):1877-1882.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2021.04.015. Epub 2021 May 21.

Drugs

Indications