Diabetes articles from across Nature Portfolio

Dietary guidelines advise substituting saturated fats with unsaturated fats. We used detailed blood fat composition profiling in diet trials and population studies to confirm that a moderate high-fat diet from plant oils is better for metabolism and heart health than a diet with similar fat levels from animal sources.

Two recent studies have unravelled novel modes of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) signalling regulation. Kizilkaya et al. characterized the effect of changes in β-arrestin 2 coupling with naturally occurring GIPR coding variants, whereas Regmi et al. investigated GIPR expression profiles and functional regulation in adipocytes.

A human experiment confirms the higher susceptibility of South Asians to adverse metabolic consequences with weight gain compared with white Europeans, which is attributed to underlying differences in muscle and adipose biology.

In vitro modelling of the adipose tissue-liver axis can advance understanding and therapy of metabolic disease, including by distinguishing effects of obesity and inflammation. Here, authors develop such a system based on isogenic human iPSCs and interconnected microphysiological devices.

Choi et al. report on the effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors in reducing risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and major adverse kidney events (MAKE) in people with SARS-CoV-2 infection. They show that compared to other antihyperglycemics, SGLT2 inhibitors reduce the risk of both MACE and MAKE after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Mechanistic and clinical data indicate that DNA damage contributes to the pathogenesis and progression of diabetic complications. Thus, DNA damage and its signalling are entering the field of diabetology.

Analysis of data related to the Ukraine famine of 1932–1933 shows that in utero exposure to famine increases the risk of adult type 2 diabetes by more than twofold.

Guidelines currently recommend organ-specific management of obesity-related complications. Agents that agonize glucagon-like peptide 1 receptors, including those that co-agonize other anorexigenic hormone receptors, lead to substantial weight loss and benefits in people with varying obesity-related complications, with further trials underway. These medications enable cause-specific management of obesity complications.

Wegovy, Zepbound and similar medications all lead to metabolic improvements, but scientists are starting to unpick the differences between them.

Dietary guidelines advise substituting saturated fats with unsaturated fats. We used detailed blood fat composition profiling in diet trials and population studies to confirm that a moderate high-fat diet from plant oils is better for metabolism and heart health than a diet with similar fat levels from animal sources.

Gene therapy holds tremendous promise for treating a wide range of hereditary and acquired diseases by delivering exogenous therapeutic nucleotide sequences into specific cells or tissues. Recent advances support the notion that gene therapy could offer a long-term cure for diabetes mellitus, something that current conventional pharmacotherapies cannot achieve.