Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Elevated number of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which are proteins responsible for cholesterol transport in the blood, can lead to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women. We have recently shown that LDL reduces the ability of adipose tissue to store fat from a dietary source, a phenomenon that could explain increased risk for type 2 diabetes in these women. We now aim at determining if LDL exerts this effect through an inflammatory mechanism, which, when chronically activated, leads to a dysfunction in the adipose tissue. This project will examine these relations in 1) a 54 subject population consisting of 50% men and women consuming a fat-rich meal, 2) in their adipose tissue biopsies and 3) in human cell cultures. The fat absorption and the activation of specific proteins and genes will be evaluated in these models. Subjects participating in this study will be tested before and after consumption of omega-3 fatty acids over 12 weeks, an intervention that is expected to reduce inflammation in adipose tissue, enabling us to evaluate the role of this chronic inflammation in this tissue's function.