High-fat Overfeeding, Hepatokines and Appetite Regulation

The present study will investigate the effect of high-fat overfeeding on a group of liver-secreted proteins linked to worsened blood sugar control, as well as proteins involved in appetite control. Participants will consume both a high-fat diet, consisting of 50% extra calories above their daily required intake, and a control diet, consisting of their normal 'habitual' diet, with each diet lasting seven days. The diets will be undertaken in a randomised order, with a period of three weeks separating the two diets. Blood samples will be taken before and after each diet to measure blood sugar control. Further blood samples will also be taken 24 hours and 72 hours into each diet to see how levels of the liver and appetite-regulating proteins change over the course of the seven days. It is expected that blood sugar control will be worsened by the high-fat diet and this will be accompanied by increases in levels of the liver-secreted proteins and an impaired release of the appetite-regulating proteins into the blood.