Effect of high-fat diet and exercise on IMCL content V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effect of high-fat, high-calorie diet with or without exercise on intramyocellular lipid storage in lean, physically inactive individuals
IRAS ID
320675
Contact name
Oliver Wilson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Beckett University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
When we eat a high-fat meal, the body breaks down the dietary fat into smaller parts called fatty acids. These then get through our bloodstream to be stored within our body fat reserves (e.g., fat under the skin) and muscles. Eating lots of high fat, high calorie foods (like what we often do during the Christmas holidays ) can make our muscles store more fat. Some studies suggest that when our muscles store too much fat, it makes the body less sensitive to insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels).
Interestingly, athletes, who are usually very sensitive to insulin, also have a lot of fat stored in their muscles. This is because during exercise the body uses fat as an energy source. Therefore, staying active when eating a high fat, high calorie diet may help the body and specifically protect the muscles to avoid the negative effects of too much fat, such as reduced insulin sensitivity. However, we still do not fully understand how this works on a molecular level.
Therefore, the purpose of this study is to see how a 5-day high-fat, high calorie diet, with and without daily exercise, affects muscle fat storage and insulin sensitivity in healthy, non-athlete men. We think that daily exercise during this type of diet might lessen the negative impact on muscle fat storage and help maintain insulin sensitivity.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0335
Date of REC Opinion
27 Nov 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion