Chronic intermittent fasting impairs β cell maturation and function in adolescent mice.

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a nutritional lifestyle intervention with broad metabolic benefits, but whether the impact of IF depends on the individual's age is unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of IF on systemic metabolism and β cell function in old, middle-aged, and young mice. Short-term IF improves glucose homeostasis across all age groups without altering islet function and morphology.

Nuclear Receptors in Energy Metabolism.

Nuclear receptors are master regulators of energy metabolism through the conversion of extracellular signals into gene expression signatures. The function of the respective nuclear receptor is tissue specific, signal and co-factor dependent. While normal nuclear receptor function is central to metabolic physiology, aberrant nuclear receptor signaling is linked to various metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, or hepatic steatosis.