Determination of the Effect of Extreme Dietary Carbohydrate Restriction on Hepatic Glucose Production

Inclusion Criteria

• •The study will compare sources of hepatic glucose in individuals age 18 to 65 years matched for age, body mass index (BMI), gender, and ethnicity. Enrollment numbers will be higher to accommodate attrition and matching. The genders will be equally represented in both cohorts. The ethnicity of the participants will be chosen to match the general population in the Dallas area. Spanish speaking subjects will be eligible for enrollment. No cultural or ethnic background will be systematically excluded. The present study will be restricted to subjects who are overweight (25\>BMI\<35). All subjects will have a normal nutritional status and minimal ethanol intake (\< 10 g/d). Because activity level is known to alter hepatic metabolism, the subjects chosen will be those who do not participate in regular exercise above the amount of activity associated with daily living. Participation in concurrent studies will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants.
• •The investigators will also enroll subjects diagnosed with NAFLD from Dr. Browning's clinical hepatology practice.
• •Based upon the need to study the effects of macronutrient manipulation under a variety of conditions, the targeted enrollment for this protocol will be open-ended. This will allow the present application to act as the basis for studying hepatic metabolism under a variety of conditions. The enrollment target is 80 subjects.