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

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.

Automated summary

The study reveals that agave inulin can effectively reduce glucose levels and improve metabolic control parameters in T2DM patients. The positive changes may be associated with epigenetic modifications of the insulin pathway genes.