Acute Fatty Acid Intervention Study (AFAST)

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The main objective of this study is to elucidate whether different dietary fatty acids (SFA, PUFA, butter fat and margarine fat) in a high fat load will have different effects on PBMC gene expression profiles. Secondary objectives are to elucidate the effects of these fat loads on individual plasma free fatty acid profiles, triglycerides and cholesterol levels.

Detailed Description
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Nutrition plays a key role in the development of metabolic disorders like cardiovascular disease and the metabolic syndrome. Nutrients that can contribute to the risk of developing such diseases are fatty acids (FAs). It is known that fatty acids mediate their metabolic effects via changes in gene expression, through binding and subsequent activation of the transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR). In addition, it is known that unsaturated fatty acids are better ligands for PPAR than saturated fatty acids. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) express PPARalpha and are relatively easy to isolate from whole blood. We previously showed that the gene expression profiles of these cells can reflect free fatty acid increases during fasting. The question still remains whether dietary FA can influence gene expression in a similar way and, if so, whether different dietary FA result in different gene expression changes and subsequent activation of other pathways.

Official Title
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Acute Fatty Acid Intervention Study

Conditions
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Cardiovascular Disease, The Metabolic Syndrome

Intervention / Treatment
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* Dietary Supplement: High fat meal


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Healthy Caucasian men age between 18 and 30 years Exclusion Criteria: Allergic to fish oil Allergic to margarine Allergic to cow milk or dairy products Current or recent (<4 weeks) use of fish oil supplements or more then four times fish/week; 24.35 g of EPA-DHA of fish per month (800 mg/day) as judged by the questionnaire. Body mass index (BMI) < 18 or > 25 kg/m2 Urine glucose concentrations outside normal ranges (low to non-detectable) Fasting blood glucose outside the normal range (3 - 5.5 mmol/L) Tobacco smoking Taking medication that may influence the study results Received inoculations within 2 months of starting the study or planned to during the study Donated or intended to donate blood from 2 months before the study till two months after the study Diagnosed with any long-term medical condition (eg., diabetes, hemophilia, cardiovascular disease, anemia, gastrointestinal disease) Vegetarian

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 30 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Male

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

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


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: High polyunsaturated fat meal<br>A high fat milkshake containing 55g of fat, mainly PUFA | Dietary Supplement: High fat meal<br>* A high fat milkshake containing 55g of fat<br>|
| Experimental: High monounsaturated fat meal<br>A high fat milkshake containing 55g of fat, mainly MUFA | Dietary Supplement: High fat meal<br>* A high fat milkshake containing 55g of fat<br>|
| Experimental: High saturated fat meal<br>A high fat milkshake containing 55g of fat, mainly SFA | Dietary Supplement: High fat meal<br>* A high fat milkshake containing 55g of fat<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) gene expression profiles |  | 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 hours | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plasma free fatty acid profiles |  | 0, 6 hours | 
| Plasma free fatty acids |  | 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 hours | 
| Plasma cholesterol |  | 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 hours | 
| Plasma triglycerides |  | 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 hours | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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postprandial, gene expression profiles, microarray