Effect of Inulin Intervention on Metabolic Control and Methylation of INS and IRS1 Genes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background and Aims: Currently, treatments are being sought to improve the control of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and inulin has been shown to be effective in reducing glucose levels and other metabolic control parameters. These effects on metabolic control may be associated with changes in the epigenetic modulation of genes of the insulin pathway. Therefore, our objective is to determine the effect of agave inulin in metabolic control parameters and in INS and IRS1 genes’ methylation in T2DM patients. Methods: This was a longitudinal experimental study with 67 Mexican participants who received an intervention of inulin agave (10 g daily) for 2 months. The methylation of the INS and IRS1 genes was determined by MSP. Results: For the INS gene, we found a significant decrease in the proportions of T2DM patients with methylated DNA after inulin intervention (p = 0.0001). In contrast, the difference in the proportions of the unmethylated IRS1 gene before and after the inulin intervention was not significant (p = 0.79). On the other hand, we observed changes in the number of T2DM patients’ recommended categories for metabolic control depending on the methylation of INS and IRS1 genes before and after treatment with inulin. Conclusion: For the first time, we report the modification in the methylation of two genes, INS and IRS1, of the insulin pathway and provide information on the possible relevant role of epigenetics as a key factor in positive changes in metabolic control parameters by inulin intake in T2DM patients.

Dietary Supplementation of Inulin Contributes to the Prevention of Estrogen Receptor-Negative Mammary Cancer by Alteration of Gut Microbial Communities and Epigenetic Regulations

“…Dietary interventions that can improve gut health or induce protective epigenetics modifications have been studied as cancer prevention strategies in the past decade. As a well-known prebiotic, inulin has been used for treating and preventing digestive problems, weight loss, and constipation because it helps increase the minerals absorption from food, promotes the growth of health-benefiting bacteria, and supports a healthy immune system according to previous studies [33,34]. Our investigation explored the potential mechanisms, gut microbiota regulation, and epigenetics modifications of inulin dietary intervention in BC prevention.…”

Epigenetic Biomarkers of Metabolic Responses to Lifestyle Interventions

“…Baseline methylation in the BMAL1 gene negatively correlated with the effect of a 4-month intervention based on an energy-controlled Mediterranean dietary pattern on serum lipids, including the percentage of change in total cholesterol and LDL-c in overweight/obese women [19]. The methylation status of the insulin gene was related to changes in LDL-c after an intervention with inulin agave (10 g/d) over 2 months in patients with type 2 diabetes [20]. Concomitant reductions in the methylation levels of the ADRB3 gene and increases in the HDL-c values were found in overweight/obese women who consumed a diet fortified with folate (191 µg/d) and hazelnut oil (1 capsule/d) for 8 weeks [21].…”

Epigenetics in Obesity and Diabetes Mellitus: New Insights

“…These disturbances lead to subsequent insulin insufficiency and resistance in the target organs (the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue) [ 41 ], which exhibit inappropriate expression of profibrotic and proapoptotic genes [ 10 , 40 ]. It has been suggested that DNA methylation may be a reversible and dynamic process that requires continuous regulation, and modifications have been described in the methylation of some genes of the insulin pathway, which has provided information on the possible relevant role of epigenetics as a key factor in positive changes in metabolic control parameters in T2DM patients [ 42 , 43 ].…”