Metabolic Disorders News and Research

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Popular sweeteners may impact metabolism across generations

When you choose a diet version of your favorite fizzy drink, you consume non-nutritive sweeteners, which taste sweet but - unlike sugar - contain no calories.

10 Apr 2026

AI-powered chemistry accelerates discovery of selective cancer inhibitors

Recently, the Insilico team's research entitled "An Internal Sulfur-Lone Pair Interaction Enabled the Discovery of Potential and Sub-Family Selective PKMYT1 Inhibitors" was invited for publication as a cover Feature in ChemMedChem.

9 Apr 2026

Fat-producing enzyme identified as key driver of damage in Parkinson’s disease

A fat-producing enzyme in brain cells may play a key role in driving damage in Parkinson's disease and could offer a new target for treatment, scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have found.

9 Apr 2026

Insilico Medicine nominates AI-driven drug candidate for cancer, Cushing's syndrome and obesity

The NR3C1 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1) gene encodes the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a nuclear receptor vital for maintaining physiological homeostasis, and inhibition of NR3C1 could increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to standard chemotherapy, particularly in ovarian cancer.

8 Apr 2026

Oral molecule prevents kidney stones and restores survival in mice

Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging have shown that an orally administered small molecule, N-propargylglycine (N-PPG), can completely prevent the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones, protect against kidney failure, and fully restore normal survival in a mouse model of Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 2 (PH2), a rare and currently untreatable genetic disorder that causes progressive kidney failure in infants and young adults.

2 Apr 2026

How gut imbalance may drive obesity, diabetes, and heart disease

A new review argues that gut dysbiosis is closely linked to metabolic dysfunction through intertwined effects on inflammation, oxidative stress, gut barrier integrity, microbial metabolites, and epigenetic regulation. It also highlights microbiome-targeted strategies such as high-fiber diets, probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, exercise, and fecal microbiota transplantation as promising ways to support metabolic health.

30 Mar 2026

How do diet, smoking, alcohol, and stress reshape the female microbiome?

This review examines how modifiable lifestyle and environmental factors shape the female vaginal, gut, oral, and skin microbiomes, with diet, alcohol, smoking, obesity, stress, hygiene, physical activity, and sexual behaviours all linked to site-specific microbial shifts. It argues that understanding these patterns could help guide future female-focused prevention and intervention strategies.

30 Mar 2026

Whole genome sequencing improves diagnosis of rare diseases

A collaboration between Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, and SciLifeLab has integrated whole genome sequencing into routine diagnostic investigations for rare diseases at Karolinska University Hospital.

30 Mar 2026

Higher sugar intake raises gallstone risk in adults, study finds

A cross-sectional NHANES study of 8,975 U.S. adults found that higher total dietary sugar intake was associated with higher odds of gallstones, with each 100 g/day increase linked to a 41% rise after full adjustment. The findings suggest sugar intake may be a modifiable gallstone risk factor, but the study relied on self-reported gallstones and cannot establish causation.

29 Mar 2026

Insilico and ASKA partner to advance AI-driven gynecological drug discovery

Insilico Medicine (3696.HK), a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company driven by generative artificial intelligence (AI), today announced a strategic research collaboration with ASKA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ("ASKA"), a specialized pharmaceutical company with a strong focus on internal medicine, obstetrics, and gynecology.

24 Mar 2026

BNP predicts kidney disease progression risk in diabetes patients

The relationship between cardiovascular dysfunction and renal impairment is widely recognized as the cardiorenal interaction, a complex physiological link in which damage to one organ can accelerate deterioration in the other.

24 Mar 2026

Muscle-repairing macrophages trigger heterotopic ossification in mice

We have identified a macrophage population "Mrep" that plays an essential role in muscle repair. However, in Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), Mrep functions as a pathogenic cell that triggers heterotopic ossification.

18 Mar 2026

Anti-aging drug combination causes brain damage in mice

A two-drug combination frequently used in anti-aging research causes brain damage in mice, University of Connecticut researchers report in the March 16 issue of PNAS.

17 Mar 2026

Activating hypoxia signaling improves metabolism and bone health

Obesity is widely known for increasing the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but its damaging effects on the skeleton are often overlooked. Excess body fat can disrupt bone metabolism, weaken bone quality, and impair fracture repair.

17 Mar 2026

Hormone asprosin linked to long-term weight changes after menopause

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health have identified how the hormone asprosin influences long-term weight change among postmenopausal women in the United States.

10 Mar 2026

Postbiotics may help treat PCOS by restoring microbiome balance

Emerging studies suggest postbiotics could aid PCOS management by restoring gut microbiome balance and enhancing insulin sensitivity and hormonal regulation.

10 Mar 2026

No evidence probiotic skincare can improve mood

Current findings reveal no support for emotional benefits from probiotic cosmetics, highlighting the need for further investigation into neurocosmetics.

5 Mar 2026

Seven hours sleep linked to lower insulin resistance risk

Sleeping for 7 hours and 18 minutes every night may be the sweet spot for warding off the risk of insulin resistance-the precursor to type 2 diabetes-suggests a large observational study published in the open access journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.

3 Mar 2026

Puberty reshapes DNA to worsen or reverse insulin resistance

This study uncovers epigenetic changes during puberty that correlate with insulin resistance, offering insights into childhood obesity and metabolic risk.

3 Mar 2026

New review explains how circular RNAs could unlock fat browning therapies

A Cell Death & Disease review synthesizes preclinical evidence that circular RNAs regulate adipose browning and metabolic pathways through microRNA interactions, protein binding, and organelle-linked stress mechanisms. It highlights their biomarker and therapeutic potential in obesity and type 2 diabetes while underscoring key translational challenges, including delivery specificity and human validation.

26 Feb 2026