An Open Label Study of 5α-reductase Inhibition on the Regulation of Insulin Action and Metabolic Phenotype in Healthy Volunteers.

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.