Volume 15 Issue 12, December 2019

Alternate day fasting (ADF) has gained considerable popularity as a weight loss intervention. A new study provides data showing that zero-calorie ADF (defined as 36-hour water fast alternating with 12-hour feast) is a safe and effective intervention to lower body weight and metabolic disease risk in participants who did not have obesity.

Sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a fairly new class of treatment for diabetes mellitus. Some data suggest SGLT2 inhibitors are associated with a risk of severe urinary tract infections. However, meta-analyses of trials and a large population-based cohort study show no increased risk, which provides important reassurance for patients and prescribers.

This Review outlines how diet and metabolic diseases (obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) affect hepatic fatty acid partitioning.

This Review outlines the mechanisms by which bile acids regulate glucose homeostasis and the settings in which endogenous bile acids are altered, and provides suggestions for future research.

This Review discusses the effects of space flight in low Earth orbit on reproductive end points in humans and experimental animals. The effects of simulated microgravity, hypergravity and experimentally generated space radiation on reproductive end points are also outlined.

Circulating microRNAs act as a new class of endocrine factor that can facilitate crosstalk between metabolic organs. This Review highlights obesity-associated and/or adipose tissue-enriched microRNAs and discusses their potential as biomarkers or therapeutics for obesity and related disorders.