Normal, healthy people are studied to see the effects of a medication as part of normal aging changes, or the effect of a medication on blood sugar or blood pressure in research subjects without medical problems.

When anxiety or depression becomes the dominant emotion and affects the quality of life, a medical evaluation may be necessary to determine if one could benefit from treatment. There are a variety of medications available for those that suffer from depression. Research studies that test new medications are often available to people seeking intervention for mood disorders.

Overweight or obese individuals may have problems with blood sugar, cholesterol, or desire weight loss, all important areas of medical research. Diabetes and obesity are commonly occurring medical conditions.

Diabetes Mellitus is an increasingly widespread disease that is most commonly found in an overweight population as type II diabetes or adult onset diabetes. In type II diabetes the pancreas has been stimulated to produce large amounts of insulin due to increased caloric intake. High levels of insulin circulating in the body lose effectiveness over time, and patients develop insulin resistance. This is very different from type I diabetes in which the pancreas is no longer able to manufacture insulin.
 

Clinical trials of important new medications are evaluated in phase II, phase III, and phase IV clinical studies in order to find new treatments for patients suffering from conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder (ADHD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), obesity and others. These studies are used to to assess the effectiveness and safety of new medical treatments.