Work

Periodic fasting induced reconstitution of metabolic flexibility improves albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Metabolic inflexibility has been shown to be associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, data are lacking, proving that reconstitution of metabolic flexibility by using a 6-month periodic fasting (PF) regimen may improve albuminuria. METHODS: In this post hoc analysis of a randomized-controlled trial, we investigated whether the PF regimen enhanced metabolic flexibility in individuals with T2D and DN showing improvement of albuminuria (responders) compared to non-responders. Participants followed every month either a 5-day fasting-mimicking diet or a Mediterranean diet for 6 months. LC-MS/MS-based comprehensive metabolic profiling was performed in plasma samples before, during, and after the intervention. Changes in metabolomic patterns and enriched signalling pathways were analysed between study groups. RESULTS: PF induced a sustained shift toward enhanced fatty acid oxidation, lipid utilization, and amino acids turnover, particularly in responders. Responders exhibited persistent elevations in short-chain acylcarnitines and cholesteryl esters, indicating more efficient lipid oxidation and tighter integration of lipid metabolism with the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Increased glycine and serine levels suggested enhanced cellular maintenance, a protein-sparing effect, and a metabolic shift favouring lipid over carbohydrate. In contrast, non-responders demonstrated only transient and limited metabolic shifts. Unsupervised clustering identified distinct metabolic response patterns, reinforcing the potential of personalized dietary interventions. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that diet-induced restoration of metabolic flexibility is associated with improved albuminuria in T2D, suggesting broader implications for precise nutritional strategies in diabetes management.

Source: Molecular Metabolism

DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2025.102257