Physiological Study of Human Cholesterol Metabolism and Excretion
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2015-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The underlying hypothesis is that whole body cholesterol - including cholesterol present in
tissues that cannot be measured by standard blood tests - is related to heart disease risk.
Endogenous cholesterol will be labeled with an intravenous infusion of one type of
cholesterol tracer and dietary cholesterol will be labeled with another. These tracers will
be used to measure how fast cholesterol is synthesized and excreted using mass spectrometry
to distinguish the tracers. Data will be related to circulating biomarkers (blood tests) and
to the thickness of the lining of the carotid artery. The effect of the drug ezetimibe on
these processes will also be determined. Successful completion of this study will give us
more knowledge about cholesterol metabolism that may be useful in designing new drugs and
treatments for patients with heart disease, especially those that are already receiving
maximum amounts of current medications.