Oxytocin as a Therapy to Help Adolescents and Young Adults with Obesity
Official title: Oxytocin as a Neuroendocrine Therapy for Obesity in Youth
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11575325 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study tests whether nasal oxytocin can help reduce weight and improve metabolic health in teens and young adults with obesity.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 17, 2020 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $82,500 |
| NIH project number | 3R01DK124223-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11575325 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are youths and young adults with obesity who meet the study’s age and health criteria and are able to adhere to nasal medication and study visits.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without obesity-related health risks or those unable to participate in a 12-week nasal-treatment schedule may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project will test a nasal oxytocin treatment versus placebo for 12 weeks in adolescents and young adults with obesity. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive the nasal spray or a placebo and will have their weight, BMI, and metabolic risk markers tracked over the study period. The goal is to see if oxytocin can reduce weight and improve health markers like fat distribution and inflammation while monitoring safety and tolerability. The research builds on prior findings in animals and small human studies suggesting oxytocin may influence appetite and energy use. If successful, this could inform future therapies to help youth achieve healthier weight trajectories.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the treatment could offer a new option to help youth reduce obesity and improve metabolic health.
How similar studies have gone: Prior small adult studies and animal data suggest oxytocin may reduce weight and inflammation, supporting the potential for benefit in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lawson, Elizabeth Austen — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Lawson, Elizabeth Austen
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding how knee pain and knee obesity and muscle loss affect knee osteoarthritis
This project looks at how knee swelling, excess knee fat, and muscle loss relate to pain and structural changes in knee osteoarthritis in adults.
-
Understanding how maternal and infant sleep and daily rhythms influence early appetite and obesity risk
This project explores how infant sleep, circadian rhythms, and maternal-infant timing relate to early appetite patterns and the risk of obesity in the first year of life.
-
GLP-1 receptor agonists as immune targets to treat asthma in lean and obese adults
Aims to understand how GLP-1R‑agonist diabetes medicines may directly calm immune cells to reduce asthma in adults who are lean or obese.
-
Understanding how where you live and personal factors during pregnancy affect a child’s risk for obesity and metabolic problems
This project looks at how neighborhood conditions and individual factors during pregnancy may influence a child’s risk of obesity and metabolic health as they grow.
-
Multicomponent lifestyle program to curb obesity and cardiometabolic risk in Samoan children
A locally designed lifestyle program aimed at preventing obesity and heart-disease risk in Samoan kids, with a focus on daily routines, healthy eating, sleep, and family support.
-
Game-based mobile app to help pregnant women with overweight/obesity manage weight in Nepal
A new app designed for pregnant women in Nepal with overweight or obesity to help manage weight gain during pregnancy and reduce weight retention after birth.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.