Understanding Liver Fat Metabolism: Studies to Understand the Role of Dietary Sugars on Liver Fat Metabolism

January 19, 2017 updated by: University of Oxford

Investigating Intra-hepatic Fatty Acid Partitioning and Its Regulation in Man. Studies to Understand the Role of Dietary Nutrients in Liver Fat Metabolism in Relation to Obesity in Man

High levels of fatty substances in the blood increase the risk of developing coronary heart disease and having a heart attack. The investigators know a lot about one of these fatty substances, cholesterol. However, there is another fatty substance in the blood called triglyceride. The investigators do not understand much about what regulates the rate at which the liver produces triglyceride and liberates it into the bloodstream after eating a meal(s). The investigators are developing new techniques to measure these processes in healthy people. Ultimately a deeper understanding of the regulation of this process might lead to the development of new treatments for fat accumulation in the liver and high blood fat levels and related disorders. The present study is an investigation of how these processes relate to various bodily characteristics such as thinness and fatness and the distribution of fat in the body.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The investigators will recruit men and women with no medical condition or relevant drug therapy that affects lipid, glucose or liver metabolism.

Purpose and design:

The investigators are asking the research question: "How does the amount and type of sugars consumed, such as those found in soft drinks, influence postprandial fatty acid and liver fat metabolism?"

It is known that consuming fructose by itself or with glucose can increase plasma triglyceride concentrations and liver fat amounts but it remains unclear how this happens.

To address this research question investigators want to undertake detail physiological studies, in a randomised cross-over study where individuals will be studied twice after the consumption of a single test meal that will contain different amounts of glucose and fructose with the same amount of dietary fat.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

16

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

      • Oxford, United Kingdom, OX3 7LE
        • Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study.
  • BMI >19 <35kg/m2
  • No medical condition or relevant drug therapy known to affect liver, lipid or glucose metabolism

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age <18 or >65 years
  • Body mass index <19 or >35kg/m2
  • A blood haemoglobin <120mg/dL
  • Any metabolic condition or relevant drug therapy
  • People who do not tolerate fructose
  • Smoking
  • History of alcoholism or a greater than recommended alcohol intake
  • Pregnant or nursing mothers
  • Women prescribed any contraceptive agent or device including oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or who have used these within the last 12 months
  • History of severe claustrophobia
  • Presence of metallic implants, pacemaker
  • Haemorrhagic disorders
  • Anticoagulant treatment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Sugar Study_low fructose
Consumption of a single test meal that contains fat and a sugary drink made with a low amount of fructose and high amount of glucose
Subjects are given a single test meal on two study days that has a sugary drink that varies in the amount of fructose and glucose it contains. They consume the same amount of fat on both study days.
Active Comparator: Sugar Study_high fructose
Consumption of a single test meal that contains fat and a sugary drink made with a high amount of fructose and low amount of glucose
Subjects are given a single test meal on two study days that has a sugary drink that varies in the amount of fructose and glucose it contains. They consume the same amount of fat on both study days.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Plasma Triglycerides
Time Frame: 7 hours
Postprandial plasma triglyceride concentrations will be measured biochemically, on a clinical analyser by taking regular blood samples from participants for a period of up to 7 hours after participants have consumed the test meal.
7 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Plasma glucose
Time Frame: 7 hours
Postprandial plasma glucose concentrations will be measured biochemically, by taking blood samples from participants regularly after the consumption of a mixed test meal.
7 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Leanne Hodson, PhD, University of Oxford

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

March 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 15, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 22, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

June 23, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 20, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 19, 2017

Last Verified

November 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Oxlip-2013_expt2

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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