Cover Story Current Issue

Maternal nutrition exerts profound and lasting effects on infant development, with implications extending beyond somatic growth to long-term brain function and metabolic health. For example, newborns from mothers with obesity or diabetes exhibit increased susceptibility to metabolic disorders, including insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), often emerging in childhood or adolescence. While genetic inheritance contributes to this intergenerational risk, early-life nutritional exposures are increasingly recognized as primary drivers of persistent metabolic programming. Among key classes of nutrients, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—have emerged as potent modulators of metabolic health in human adults. Elevated circulating BCAAs are among the most accurate predictors of future insulin resistance (IR) and T2D, with a two-fold increase in serum levels conferring a 2.5-fold risk of diabetes onset within 6–10 years. This elevation can directly cause organ toxicity, exacerbating metabolic deficits in a feed-forward loop. However, the extent to which maternal BCAA overnutrition during gestation and lactation impacts offspring metabolic programming and predisposes to dysfunction remains unclear.

Full text

 

Current Issue

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)

Timo D. Müller, Alice Adriaenssens, Bo Ahrén, Matthias Blüher, ... Matthias H. Tschöp

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)

Background

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) was the first incretin identified and plays an essential role in the maintenance of glucose tolerance in healthy humans. Until recently GIP had not been developed as a therapeutic and thus has been overshadowed by the other incretin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which is the basis for several successful drugs to treat diabetes and obesity. However, there has been a rekindling of interest in GIP biology in recent years, in great part due to pharmacology demonstrating that both GIPR agonism and antagonism may be beneficial in treating obesity and diabetes. This apparent paradox has reinvigorated the field, led to new lines of investigation, and deeper understanding of GIP.

Scope of Review

In this review, we provide a detailed overview on the multifaceted nature of GIP biology and discuss the therapeutic implications of GIPR signal modification on various diseases.

Major Conclusions

Following its classification as an incretin hormone, GIP has emerged as a pleiotropic hormone with a variety of metabolic effects outside the endocrine pancreas. The numerous beneficial effects of GIPR signal modification render the peptide an interesting candidate for the development of pharmacotherapies to treat obesity, diabetes, drug-induced nausea and both bone and neurodegenerative disorders.

Articles in Press

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)

Timo D. Müller, Alice Adriaenssens, Bo Ahrén, Matthias Blüher, ... Matthias H. Tschöp

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)

Background

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) was the first incretin identified and plays an essential role in the maintenance of glucose tolerance in healthy humans. Until recently GIP had not been developed as a therapeutic and thus has been overshadowed by the other incretin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which is the basis for several successful drugs to treat diabetes and obesity. However, there has been a rekindling of interest in GIP biology in recent years, in great part due to pharmacology demonstrating that both GIPR agonism and antagonism may be beneficial in treating obesity and diabetes. This apparent paradox has reinvigorated the field, led to new lines of investigation, and deeper understanding of GIP.

Scope of Review

In this review, we provide a detailed overview on the multifaceted nature of GIP biology and discuss the therapeutic implications of GIPR signal modification on various diseases.

Major Conclusions

Following its classification as an incretin hormone, GIP has emerged as a pleiotropic hormone with a variety of metabolic effects outside the endocrine pancreas. The numerous beneficial effects of GIPR signal modification render the peptide an interesting candidate for the development of pharmacotherapies to treat obesity, diabetes, drug-induced nausea and both bone and neurodegenerative disorders.

SAVE THE DATE!

13th
Helmholtz Diabetes Conference 
Munich, 21-23. Sep 2026                                                                                                                             

2024 impact factor: 6.6

You are what you eat

Here is a video of Vimeo. When the iframes is activated, a connection to Vimeo is established and, if necessary, cookies from Vimeo are also used. For further information on cookies policy click here.

Auf Werbeinhalte, die vor, während oder nach Videos von WEBSITE-URL eingeblendet werden, hat WEBSITE-URL keinen Einfluss. Wir übernehmen keine Gewähr für diese Inhalte. Weitere Informationen finden Sie hier.