Healthy Volunteers
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to see if an enzyme in the body (5-alpha reductase, 5αR) is important in controlling how the body handles sugar and fat. The investigators believe that 5αR is a crucial step in regulating these actions as well as controlling how insulin works in the body but regulating the amount of steroid hormones including cortisol and testosterone in the body. In previous clinical studies, the investigators have shown that the activity of 5αR increases as you gain weight and decreases with weight loss. In addition, work that the investigators have performed in the laboratory has shown that if you increase 5αR levels in liver cell grown in the laboratory, the amount of fat that they contain increases. The investigators would therefore like to demonstrate the effect of inhibition 5αR on the regulation of insulin, glucose and fat in the body.
Interventions
DRUGFinasteride
Finasteride 5mg once daily for 3 weeks
DRUGDutasteride
Dutasteride 0.5mg once daily for 3 weeks
Sponsors
University of Birmingham
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Male sex * Age 18-65years * BMI 20-35kg/m2 * BMI \>35kg/m2
Exclusion criteria
* Diabetes Mellitus * Glucocorticoid use within the last 6 months * Uncontrolled hypertension (BP\>160/100mmHg) * Drugs know to impact upon glucocorticoid metabolism
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| insulin sensitivity | 3 weeks | stable isotope measurements of glucose production rate and glucose disposal |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| adipose tissue insulin sensitivity | 3 weeks | insulin mediated suppression of glycerol release into adipose tissue |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed