EFFECTS OF EZETIMIBE ON ABSORPTION OF DIETARY FATTY ACIDS-GCRC PILOT STUDY

Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem NC

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Abstract

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Ezetimibe is an FDA approved drug for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, which acts by inhibiting the intestinal absorption of cholesterol. However, a recent study in mice has shown that ezetimibe also significantly reduces the absorption of dietary saturated fatty acids, thereby conferring resistance to diet-induced obesity. In this pilot study we will use the non-invasive sucrose polybehenate method to measure the intestinal absorption of individual dietary fatty acids in healthy subjects before and after one month of treatment with ezetimibe. DNA will also be collected and stored for future analysis of genetic effects on fatty acid absorption. We hypothesize that ezetimibe will reduce the absoption of saturated fatty acids in humans, and if so, could ultimately have a role in the prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes.