Metabolic responses to mild cold acclimation in type 2 diabetes patients

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 1516
• Main Authors: Remie, Carlijn M. E., Moonen, Michiel P. B., Roumans, Kay H. M., Nascimento, Emmani B. M., Gemmink, Anne, Havekes, Bas, Schaart, Gert, Kornips, Esther, Joris, Peter J., Schrauwen-Hinderling, Vera B., Hoeks, Joris, Kersten, Sander, Hesselink, Matthijs K. C., Phielix, Esther, Lichtenbelt, Wouter D. van Marken, Schrauwen, Patrick
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 09.03.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 38; 59; 59/57; 631/443/319/1642/137; 692/163/2743; Acclimation; Acclimatization; Acclimatization - physiology; Aged; Aorta; Body Temperature Regulation - physiology; Cold; Cold acclimation; Cold Temperature; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - metabolism; Energy expenditure; Fasting; Female; Gene expression; Glucose - metabolism; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Insulin; Insulin Resistance; Kinetics; Lipid Metabolism; Lipids; Male; Metabolic response; Metabolism; Middle Aged; multidisciplinary; Muscle contraction; Muscle, Skeletal; Muscles; Muscular function; Oxidation; Oxidation-Reduction; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sensitivity; Shivering; Skeletal muscle
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21813-0

Mild cold acclimation for 10 days has been previously shown to markedly improve insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes. Here we show in a single-arm intervention study (Trialregister.nl ID: NL4469/NTR5711) in nine patients with type 2 diabetes that ten days of mild cold acclimation (16–17 °C) in which observable, overt shivering was prevented, does not result in improved insulin sensitivity, postprandial glucose and lipid metabolism or intrahepatic lipid content and only results in mild effects on overnight fasted fat oxidation, postprandial energy expenditure and aortic augmentation index. The lack of marked metabolic effects in this study is associated with a lack of self-reported shivering and a lack of upregulation of gene expression of muscle activation or muscle contraction pathways in skeletal muscle and suggests that some form of muscle contraction is needed for beneficial effects of mild cold acclimation. Cold acclimation has been shown to have beneficial metabolic effects, including improved insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes. Here the authors show that a mild cold acclimation regiment during which overt shivering was prevented did not result in improved insulin sensitivity in a small group of patients with type 2 diabetes.