9-week dietitian-led program for adults with spinal cord injury to reduce body fat and insulin resistance
Official title: Utilizing Dietician-guided Intervention to Combat Neurogenic Obesity in People With Spinal Cord Injury
Run by University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center · NCT06924177 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program will try a 9-week dietitian-led version of the Diabetes Prevention Program to see if it lowers body fat and insulin resistance in adults with chronic spinal cord injury.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 65 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 20 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Dallas, Texas) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | February 13, 2026 |
| Main results expected | May 31, 2027 |
| Study ends | May 31, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | July 15, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06924177 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults aged 18–65 who have had a spinal cord injury for more than one year, are primarily wheelchair users and not independently ambulatory, and live in the community without the specified exclusionary medical conditions are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
People with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes, current pregnancy, active systemic diseases listed in the exclusions, or who cannot travel to the site for required lab visits are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This pilot uses a modified Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) diet delivered via nine weekly telehealth visits with a certified dietitian to participants with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Twenty community-dwelling adults with SCI will undergo body composition testing and fasting blood draws before and after the intervention, with an additional follow-up visit nine weeks after completion. Ten participants start the program immediately and ten begin after a nine-week wait period, allowing within-subject comparisons and a waitlist control design. Qualitative semi-structured interviews at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up will explore barriers and facilitators to adopting the diet.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could offer a practical telehealth dietary approach to reduce body fat and improve insulin sensitivity for community-dwelling adults with chronic SCI.
How similar studies have gone: The original DPP has shown weight and metabolic benefits in other populations and some adapted DPPs have helped reduce weight and improve insulin sensitivity, but tailored applications specifically for SCI are limited and not well-established.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * age 18-65 years old * have had SCI for more than one year * not independently ambulatory * primarily uses a wheelchair for mobility * community-dwelling * without comorbidities listed in the exclusion criteria Exclusion Criteria: * uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus * pregnancy * active systemic disease, e.g., heart disease, real failure/insufficiency, multiple myeloma, lupus with nephropathy, sickle cell disease, symptomatic myasthenia gravis, poorly controlled hypo- or hyperthyroidism.
Where it's running
-
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Yi-Ting Tzen
- Email: Yi-Ting.Tzen@UTSouthwestern.edu
- Phone: 214-648-1786
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.