Loughborough University academics are looking for volunteers to take part in a study investigating the impact of a meal rich in saturated (bad) fats compared to a meal rich in monounsaturated (good) fats on metabolic responses in the blood and adipose (fat) tissue.
The team from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences are looking for healthy male and female volunteers aged 18-50 years to take part. Volunteers must also have a waist circumference over 94cm/90 cm for men/Asian men and over 80cm for women and/or a body mass index (BMI) over 25. If you are unsure if you meet the criteria, we would still be happy to hear from you.
Volunteers will be invited to complete 5 laboratory visits at Loughborough University, which will include 2 x ~7 hour study visits. During the study visits you will eat a test breakfast meal consisting of two small muffins and a milkshake. You will undergo a body composition assessment, blood sampling and small stomach fat tissue biopsies. You are welcome to watch films and read in between these measurements.
You will be reimbursed for your time!
This study was funded by the British Nutrition Foundation and can also be seen on the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine website (www.ncsem-em.org.uk/research/does-the-fat-composition-of-a-meal-influence-risk-factors-for-heart-disease-in-adipose-fat-tissue/).
Why are we doing this research?
It is well known that disorders associated with obesity, including heart disease, are a leading cause of death worldwide. One recommendation for lowering the risk of heart disease is replacing saturated (bad) fats with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated (good) fats. Some research has shown that eating a saturated fat-rich diet can lead to a greater inflammatory response in our adipose (fat) tissue when measured in a fasted state, compared to eating a monounsaturated fat-rich diet. However, we spend the majority of our time in a non-fasting (fed) state. Fed state metabolic responses to specific fat-rich meals have not been investigated previously and may more accurately reflect day-to-day life. Understanding how our bodies react to eating specific fats and their impact on inflammation may provide important information for informing public health advice aimed at lowering heart disease risk.
How can I find out more about the study?
If you would like more information or may be interested in taking part, please contact Rebecca Dewhurst-Trigg by email: r.dewhurst-trigg@lboro.ac.uk or Dr Oonagh Markey by email: o.markey@lboro.ac.uk or phone: 01509 222737
This study has been ethically approved by Loughborough University Ethics Committee for Human Participants (Ethical Approval: R18-P124).
