Paper shows diabetes medication may mimic calorie-restricted diet in mice

For Immediate Release
Jan. 29, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—A common medication used to control blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes partially mimics metabolic changes observed with a calorie-restricted diet when tested in non-diabetic mice, according to an article published by a Birmingham-Southern College professor and her collaborators. Dr. Gibbs

Dr. Katie Gibbs, assistant professor of biology, worked with a team of researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham led by Dr. Daniel L. Smith, Jr. to look at whether the diabetes medication acarbose might work like a restricted calorie diet and whether there were differences between male and female mice in the responses. Multiple studies in laboratory animals have indicated that calorie restriction may reduce chronic diseases and lead to longer and healthier lives, although exactly how and why is unclear.

The article, “Sex-dependent Differences in Liver and Gut Metabolomic Profiles with Acarbose and Calorie Restriction in C57BL/6 Mice,” was highlighted as an “Editor’s Choice” in the February 2018 issue of Journals of Gerontology.

“Acarbose works by reducing the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates from the diet, and it has been shown in mice to extend lifespan, most effectively in male mice,” Gibbs said. “One of the benefits of calorie restriction is improved blood glucose management. We sought to evaluate if the metabolic responses to calorie restriction and acarbose treatment would be similar and if those responses were different in male or female mice.”

The team gave mice one of three diets: unrestricted access to a standard mouse diet, unrestricted access to a diet with acarbose, or restricted access to a standard mouse diet. After 10 months, the mice had body composition and weight measured, and their livers and contents of their intestines were analyzed for metabolites. The results suggested acarbose treatment can at least partially mimic the metabolic changes observed in calorie restricted mice, with differences between males and females. Exactly how acarbose affects health without requiring food intake reductions remains an important area to understand.

“Although the underlying molecular basis of CR (calorie restriction) for health and longevity remains disputed almost a century after reports of disease protection and longevity promotion, the identification of compounds, which can mimic some of these CR-related benefits, has never been more needed particularly in light of the current health epidemic of energy imbalance and excess body weight,” the article stated.

The complete issue is available here.