Stearic Acid and Endothelial Function

Conditions

• Healthy Middle-aged Subjects
• Obesity & Overweight

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

40 Years - 70 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• High Palmitic Acid Diet — OTHER
  On this intervention, participants will be given a diet rich in palmitic acid (\~35% kcal/d palm stearin) for 14 days.
• Stearic Acid Test Meal — OTHER
  Participants will be given a test meal containing 50 g of stearic acid-rich (\~90/\~10% cocoa butter / high-linoleic sunflower oil) fat.
• Oleic Acid Test Meal — OTHER
  Participants will be given a test meal with 50 g of oleic acid-rich (\~55/\~45% palm olein / high-oleic sunflower oil) fat.
• High Stearic Acid Diet — OTHER
  Participants will be given a high stearic acid-rich diet (\~35% kcal/d \~90/\~10% cocoa butter / high-linoleic sunflower oil mixture) for 14 days total.
• High Oleic Acid Diet — OTHER
  Participants will be given a high oleic acid-rich (\~35% kcal/d \~55/\~45% palm olein / high-oleic sunflower oil mixture) for 14 days total.
• Palmitic Acid Test Meal — OTHER
  Participants will be given a test meal containing 50 g of stearic acid-rich (50g palm oil) fat.

Study Details

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the postprandial and long-term effects of dietary stearic acid on vascular function in overweight or obese adult males and females aged 40-70 years. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does consuming a high stearic acid-rich meal improve postprandial vascular function compared to a high oleic acid-rich meal? 2. Does a 14-day stearic acid-rich diet improve fasting vascular function compared to an oleic acid-rich diet? 3. Does a 14-day stearic acid-rich diet reduce the impairment of postprandial vascular function following a high palmitic-acid challenge meal? Participants will: * Complete screening questionnaires, a 3-day food log, body composition measurements, and fasting blood and urine tests. * Consume a provided, 14-day controlled diet high in palmitic acid while avoiding outside food and beverages other than water. * Be randomly assigned to consume a provided 14-day diet high in either stearic acid (cocoa butter blend) or oleic acid (plant oil blend). * Attend two 5-hour testing visits at the clinic after overnight fasting. * Undergo intravenous (IV) catheter placement for repeated blood sampling and non-invasive vascular health assessments (ultrasound artery checks and pulse measurements). * Consume assigned high-fat test meals within 15 minutes and undergo hourly vascular and blood assessments over a 4-hour period.

Key Dates

First listed

Sep 21, 2026

Start date

Oct 1, 2026

Status verified

Sep 2026

Primary completion

Aug 31, 2027

Completion

Aug 31, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

40 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

• Experimental: Stearic Acid
• Active Comparator: Oleic Acid

Primary Outcome Measure

Postprandial Endothelial Function after a Stearic Acid vs Oleic Acid Test Meal [ Time Frame: Day 1 of the stearic acid and oleic acid diets, after consuming the stearic acid or oleic acid test meals, respectively ]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Tallahassee, FL

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