Articles in 2022

Understanding of intermuscular adipose tissue has expanded over the past few years. This Review discusses the specific role of intermuscular adipose tissue in metabolic diseases in humans and in animal models, with a particular emphasis on the quantity and biological properties of this unique adipose tissue.

The year 2022 has been notable for game-changing early progress in clinical trials with stem cell islets; durable and promising 20-year data with long-term outcomes in clinical islet transplantation; and the development of locally protective or gene-editing-based approaches to avoid long-term immunosuppression.

Calorie restriction and timed dietary intake are two approaches known to increase lifespan or delay age-associated diseases. New studies reveal the importance of the ‘how much’ and ‘when’ of dietary intake in ageing modulation and collectively demonstrate how protection of the internal clock by diet can delay the ageing process.

Adipose tissue is highly versatile, dynamic and essential for metabolic health. In 2022, several exciting discoveries provided a high-resolution view of cellular composition and cell–cell communication within the adipose niche, and revealed how adipose tissue communicates with other organs and modulates metabolism during normal and pathophysiological states.

In 2022, the activation mechanism of TSH receptor (TSHR) by TSH and autoantibodies was demonstrated, monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) deficiency was corrected with gene therapy in mice and mutant thyroid hormone receptor α (TRα) was activated with a synthetic ligand. These results offer translational perspectives for patients with common and rare diseases affecting these proteins.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) analogues are licensed options for obesity, but new treatments are required to obtain better weight loss and to directly address other co-morbidities, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Research published in 2022 shows that co-agonist combinations of GLP1 with other hormones provide clinically important advances.

This Review highlights the extrapancreatic actions of the incretin hormones gastric inhibitory polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide 1. These peptides are active on tissues with cardiometabolic relevance, such as liver, adipose tissue, muscle, the immune, kidney, heart, blood vessels and the central nervous system.

There is growing awareness of differences in susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity between men and women. This Review assesses the evidence for this disparity and its potential causes, with a focus on the role of sex hormones.

In this Viewpoint, experts in the fields of medical therapy, adipocyte biology, exercise and muscle, bariatric surgery, genetics, and public health give their perspectives on current and future progress in addressing the rising prevalence of obesity.

This Review presents evidence that points to a critical role for metabolic pathways in influencing processes that support the early stages of tumour development, provides examples of the role of metabolic networks intrinsic to cancer cells in tumour progression and outlines how environmental factors can affect tumour incidence.

Cardiorenal diseases are common in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), with substantial morbidity and premature mortality. This Review discusses how atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and cardiorenal diseases can be prevented in T2DM, considering evidence from clinical trials and its implementation in clinical practice.

Classic psychedelics are being revisited as novel drug candidates. Researchers are investigating the efficacy of psychedelics for disorders such as depression and addiction. Facets of obesity pathophysiology are neurobiologically similar to these conditions, and we propose that obesity could be the next frontier in psychedelic research.