USU Nutrition Team Launches Study to Find Effective Cholesterol Blockers
A USTAR researcher at Utah State University is leading a study with human subjects to determine if prevention of cholesterol absorption is more effective when ezetimibe and a diet rich in phytosterols are combined.
Utah State University’s Center for Advanced Nutrition (CAN) is recruiting 25 subjects from the Cache County area to participate in a controlled feeding study. USTAR researcher Dr. Michael Lefevre is the principal investigator, and Dr. Jim Davis is the medical director. The study is part of a five-year collaboration with Dr. Richard Ostlund at Washington University, St. Louis.
“It is believed that ezetimibe and phytosterols block cholesterol absorption in different ways, and thus, their effects could potentially enhance one another,” Lefevre said. “Combining phytosterols with ezetimibe has been tested before in humans with no adverse effects, however, more study is needed to see if the combination brings additional efficacy.”
The market for cholesterol-fighting drugs is estimated to be $20 billion a year. Successful outcomes of this study could be national in scope and lead to new products.
“The information obtained from this study may be used to support and possibly extend the current dietary recommendations for phytosterol use,” Lefevre said. “Cardiovascular disease impacts our entire society. We want to tackle ways to lessen those impacts.”
The trial is the third that Lefevre has conducted on the question of phytosterols. Two previous studies took place in Louisiana prior to Lefevre’s recruitment to Utah as part of the USTAR initiative. Lefevre arrived as a USTAR professor at USU in September 2007 from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana where he served as chief of the Division of Functional Foods Research, as well as professor in the Division of Nutrition and Chronic Diseases. He was also an adjunct professor at the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana State University.
CAN is seeking participants within convenient travel distance to the Logan campus who are relatively healthy and not taking any cholesterol-lowering drugs. Participants will be provided with all meals during three, three-week study periods, and may earn up to $500 upon completion. Clinical examinations will take place on the USU campus, and most meals will be served at the Junction, a popular central-campus student dining area.
Study coordinator and nurse Janet Bergeson will supervise the initial screening and ongoing clinical assessment of those wishing to become involved in the study. To be included in the study, interested participants will need to pass a series of clinical screening visits, involving lab work and medical history reviews. Final admission into the study requires a physical exam by the study physician.
CAN’s chief research dietitian, Sheryl Aguilar, and Chailyn Nelson, registered dietitian, will supervise the preparation of the menu items and monitor the daily on-site and take-out meals provided to the study participants.
“Last year in anticipation of this study, CAN retrofitted part of the Junction with a fully equipped clinical facility we call the Metabolic Kitchen,” Aguilar said. “Participants will have a pleasant place to dine, and the menu items will be interesting and delicious. But study participants aren’t going to see a lot of the rich, specialty baked goods for which the Junction is known.”
A complete description of the study can be found on the USU Center for Advanced Nutrition Web site.
The Utah Science Technology and Research initiative is a long-term, state-funded investment to strengthen Utah's “knowledge economy” and generate high-paying jobs. For more information, visit the USTAR Web site.
Contacts: Michael O’Malley, USTAR, 801-652-5578, momalley@utah.gov
Maren Cartwright, USU, 435-797-1355, maren.cartwright@usu.edu
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