Where to find relatively healthy yet overweight younger people

mloc

Bit of an odd one but I'm recruiting for a study at the moment and having trouble finding people who are young, relatively healthy but yet overweight (BMI > 30). I'm preferably looking for guys but it's not that important.

Does anyone have any ideas which areas to look at? We've tried a few groups that typically lead sedentary lifestyles (I probably shouldn't say which in case people get offended!) but finding younger people is a lot harder. I should point out that by younger, I mean generally < 40, or even < 35.

the drifter

itsallbouttheL

TommyKnocker

My first port of call would be to canvas some gyms.

From what I can see they have a number of persons who would fit the criteria you outlined.


M

brianthebard

the drifter wrote: »

itsallbouttheL

Me.

ray jay

gyms?

you might try places where people play sport casually like 5-a-side venues

Prezatch

ray jay wrote: »

gyms?

you might try places where people play sport casually like 5-a-side venues

Yea tag rugby places too

Sangre

Lower league rugby teams, especially the forwards and front-rows.

Inspector Coptoor

eh.
me.

109kg at 6'1"
gives me a BMI of 31.7
bf % is 21% after last check with calipers last week.

Colm_OReilly

I'm just curious, but how do you define healthy in this instance?

Khannie

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

I'm just curious, but how do you define healthy in this instance?

I was also curious about this. By overweight you just mean big, but not fat? I'd say hercs or raw are worth knocking in to if that's the case.

brianthebard

I assumed it meant people who are overweight but without any health problems.

Khannie

Ah, but just because you don't have any health problems doesn't mean you're healthy if you get my drift.....you may be half way to type 2 diabetes from all the snickers bars or whatever. If you have a BMI of > 30 and a sedentary lifestyle as the OP suggested he was looking for then you're probably not healthy in my book. I suppose "healthy" is subjective.

brianthebard

:eek: omg that was so mean khannie. How did you know I was eating a snickers?? lol I see what you mean though, am looking forward to the explanation tbh, sounds like an interesting study.

Khannie

lol.

Yep, does sound interesting alright.

mloc

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

I'm just curious, but how do you define healthy in this instance?

In this case, it means not on any medication (except for the pill, exceptions could be made for some other stuff) and no current cardiovascular or related conditions (clinically relevant hypertension, T2DM etc.). Smoking is fine (well, in this case it is!).

mloc

Just to follow on, a bit more information about the study:

It's for a metabolic study that's ongoing between UCD and St. Vincent's hospital.

From the website (http://www.ucd.ie/jingo/researchprogrammes/):

Metabolic Challenge Study (MECHE)

University College Dublin will recruit 200 subjects aged 18-60 years into a study which involves a metabolic challenge with either a high fat meal or a high carbohydrate meal. In addition to nutrigenomics analysis, subjects will undergo body composition imaging, muscle function and fitness testing.

I need about 10-15 overweight people to use as a metabolically challenged group. We screen all the volunteers with a blood profile (cholesterol, fasting triglycerides etc) and all those results are provided to the volunteer. If they pass screening, there are also fitness and body composition assessments (which includes a DEXA bone density scan and a BodPod body fat composition analysis, which otherwise would be rather pricey to have done).

My own research is focussed around the response of certain immune cells within the blood to the nutritional challenge, and specifically, which genes are switched on and off. Additionally, for some volunteers who qualify (the current criteria is having a waist measurement of > 40 inches in guys, and > 36 inches in women) there is an entirely optional fat tissue biopsy, where we will look at the genes that are being switched on and off in the fat tissue of a volunteer. That's something I'm very interested in.

brianthebard

Sounds cool, would be nice to have that sort of info, never had my cholesterol and stuff tested for instance.

cc87

Any GAA clubs second or third team should have a good few that fit that profile.....they do in my club anyway

ian_c

mloc wrote: »

Bit of an odd one but I'm recruiting for a study at the moment and having trouble finding people who are young, relatively healthy but yet overweight (BMI > 30). I'm preferably looking for guys but it's not that important.

Does anyone have any ideas which areas to look at? We've tried a few groups that typically lead sedentary lifestyles (I probably shouldn't say which in case people get offended!) but finding younger people is a lot harder. I should point out that by younger, I mean generally < 40, or even < 35.

Heffernan would have been an ideal candidate except he's too old I think.

Hanley

I'd play... but I'm only 30.4

_JOE_

Hi mloc,

I know a friend who fits your profile exactly and would be interested in participating. How would one go about contacting you re the above?

Inspector Coptoor

Im living in Dublin for the summer, am on my school holidays from teaching, and as I have a B.Sc in Biochemistry, I find this very interesting and would be willing to volunteer for it

mloc

Great to have so many replies.

For those that are interested in participating, just send an email to jingo@ucd.ie, mentioning my name (Colm) and your BMI/waist measurement. I can't guarantee we can use everyone, but I genuinely appreciate people volunteering; this study is somewhat fundamental to my PhD.

I probably should have mentioned it earlier, but I'm more interested in those who have higher BMI due to higher body fat as opposed to guys who are high BMI due to muscle mass. I realise that might exclude a few people on this forum!

itsallaboutheL

the drifter wrote: »

itsallbouttheL

I'm game..

Jumpy

Hanley wrote: »

I'd play... but I'm only 30.4

I would seriously doubt you would have a 40 inch waist though.

itsallaboutheL

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

I'm game..

Wait do i need a 40 inch waist??

I can arrange it, but someones going to have to pay for my Maccy D's

Jumpy

I have a 38 inch waist and I am 31. But I am in Limerick. Probably too far for your study.

Hanley

Jumpy wrote: »

I would seriously doubt you would have a 40 inch waist though.

12 months ago I had all that and more!!