Monitoring of Hepatic Fat Metabolism Using Magnetic Resonance Methods
Condition: Hepatic Fat Content
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The first primary research objective of the study is to determine whether high-fat load (150
      g of fat) induces increase in hepatic fat content (HFC) three and six hours after meal in
      insulin-sensitive subjects with normal HFC (<5% of fat) and in non-diabetic subjects with an
      increased HFC (>5% of fat). Furthermore, the other objective of the study is to determine
      whether the response of HFC to a high-fat load is affected by coadministration of glucose or
      fructose.
    

Detailed description: 
      The epidemic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming a major challenge faced
      by health system worldwide. The hepatic fat comes from the major sources - non-esterified
      fatty acids (NEFA) released from adipose tissue, dietary fat and de novo lipogenesis. Fat
      accumulation in the liver then occurs when triglycerides (TG) that are formed are not rapidly
      enough oxidized or secreted from the liver in very low density lipoproteins (VLDL). It can be
      hypothesized that the capacity of the liver to eliminate TG can be overcome after high load
      of dietary fat. High-fat load should induce an immediate accumulation of hepatic fat that
      could be detected using 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). The accumulation of
      liver fat can be also affected by coadministration of simple carbohydrates - glucose and
      fructose. The administration of these carbohydrates can have a pronounced impact on the
      availability of particular sources of hepatic fat.
    

Intervention name(s): Fat; Fasting; Fat+Glucose; Glucose; Fat+Fructose; Fructose
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement
Intervention description(s): Subjects will consume dairy cream (150 g of fat) at time 0 hours.; Subjects will fast throughout the experiment.; Subjects will consume dairy cream (150 g of fat) at time 0 hours. At the same time and 2 and 4 hours later they will drink herbal tea containing 50 g of glucose.; Subjects will drink herbal tea containing 50 g of glucose at times 0, 2 and 4 hours.; Subjects will consume dairy cream (150 g of fat) at time 0 hours. At the same time and 2 and 4 hours later they will drink herbal tea containing 50 g of fructose.; Subjects will drink herbal tea containing 50 g of fructose at times 0, 2 and 4 hours.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Intervention model description: 10 non-obese insulin-sensitive male volunteers with normal hepatic fat content (less than 5% of liver fat) and 10 non-obese non-diabetic subjects with increased hepatic fat content (more than 5% of hepatic fat) will undergo series of six experiments - changes of liver fat content will be measured at time 0, 3 and 6 hours after specific dietary interventions
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: hepatic fat content; dietary fat; glucose; fructose; non-esterified fatty acid; triglyceride; insulin; postprandial period