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Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) seem to be a good substitute for sugar; they have the much-desired sweet taste but lack caloric content. A multi-arm randomized controlled trial assessing the effects of four NNSs on human metabolic health and the gut microbiome was recently published in Cell. The results further feed the long-standing debate on whether NNS use is indeed wholesome for human health.
Host–microorganism circadian dynamics are key contributors to metabolic health. In addition, diet composition and timed feeding affect gut microbiota diurnal rhythms, with high-fat diets altering the composition of the gut microbiota and dampening circadian rhythms throughout the intestine. A recent study shows that time-restricted feeding of a high-fat diet restores the rhythms of small bowel host–microorganism interactions, preventing diet-induced obesity in mice.
A randomized controlled trial demonstrates that using lower glycaemic criteria for diagnosing and treating gestational diabetes mellitus than currently used increases disease prevalence but does not reduce the risk of large-for-gestational-age infants across a population. However, individuals with mild hyperglycaemia who would otherwise remain undiagnosed experienced important health benefits from treatment.
A recent article from Science Translational Medicine demonstrated the importance of pancreas-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PMSCs) for rejuvenating the exocrine pancreas in two mouse models of type 1 diabetes mellitus. PMSCs boosted levels of IL-6 in T helper 1 and T helper 17 cells, which transiently triggered IFNγ and TNF expression and curtailed IL-17 expression to shelter β-cells from immune-mediated damage.
Endometrial diseases affect many women yet often have unclear pathogenesis and no definitive treatment. This Review assesses the current systems for modelling endometrial diseases in vitro and outlines future directions for these model systems.
Organoids are a promising tool for modelling diseases in vitro. This Review discusses the progress in developing liver and adipose tissue organoids to study metabolic diseases such as obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and assesses the strengths and limitations of these systems.
Two maternal cardiometabolic disorders, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), affect many pregnant individuals worldwide. This Review discusses the global disease burden and risk factors for HDP and GDM and discusses public health interventions that might help reduce the associated mortality and morbidity.
