NCT01936779

Understanding the Role of Dietary Fatty Acids on Liver Fat Metabolism in Humans

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.

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 40 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Oxford · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

High levels of fatty substances in the blood increase the risk of developing heart disease. Investigators know a lot about one of these fatty substances, cholesterol. However, there is another fatty substance in the blood called triglyceride. 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). It is known that taking fish oil lowers the amount of blood triglyceride however, it remains unclear how this happens. Investigators will study if changes in liver fat metabolism, after taking fatty acids found in fish oil (n-3 fatty acids)can explain the lowering of blood triglyceride. Investigators also want to know if taking fish oil alters the amount of fat that accumulates within the liver.

Detailed description

Investigators will recruit men and women with no medical condition or relevant drug therapy that affects liver fat metabolism. Purpose and design: Investigators are asking the research question: "How do specific fatty acids, such as those found in fish ((n-3) fatty acids) influence postprandial liver fat metabolism?" It is known that n-3 fatty acids lower plasma triglyceride concentrations but it remains unclear how this happens. To address this research question investigators want to undertake detail physiological studies, in a randomised study where individuals will be studied before and after taking n-3 fatty acids or a placebo oil.

Conditions

• NAFLD

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Dietary supplement: fatty acid	Consumption of n-3 fatty acids for 8 weeks
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Dietary supplement: fatty acid	Consumption of olive oil for 8 weeks.

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-09-01
• Primary completion: 2016-04-01
• Completion: 2016-08-01
• First posted: 2013-09-06
• Last updated: 2017-01-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom