Cited by 787Metabolism, Diabetes, and CancerAdipose Tissue and MetabolismAdipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 324 of the 331 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 255 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Metabolic Flexibility as an Adaptation to Energy Resources and Requirements in Health and Disease

Open access

Abstract

The ability to efficiently adapt metabolism by substrate sensing, trafficking, storage, and utilization, dependent on availability and requirement, is known as metabolic flexibility.In this review, we discuss the breadth and depth of metabolic flexibility and its impact on health and disease.Metabolic flexibility is essential to maintain energy homeostasis in times of either caloric excess or caloric restriction, and in times of either low or high energy demand, such as during exercise.The liver, adipose tissue, and muscle govern systemic metabolic flexibility and manage nutrient sensing, uptake, transport, storage, and expenditure by communication via endocrine cues.At a molecular level, metabolic flexibility relies on the configuration of metabolic pathways, which are regulated by key metabolic enzymes and transcription factors, many of which interact closely with the mitochondria.Disrupted metabolic flexibility, or metabolic inflexibility, however, is associated with many pathological conditions including metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cancer.Multiple factors such as dietary composition and feeding frequency, exercise training, and use of pharmacological compounds, influence metabolic flexibility and will be discussed here.Last, we outline important advances in metabolic flexibility research and discuss medical horizons and translational aspects.(Endocrine Reviews 39: 489 -517, 2018) H uman physiology evolved during times of dramatic fluctuations in energy supply and demand.Coping with these changes has entrained the human body with the ability to manage energy metabolism for optimal substrate storage and use during states of either food surplus or famine, and periods of either rest or increased energy demand.The ability to efficiently adapt metabolism depending on demand or supply is known as metabolic flexibility ().In general, the human body can aptly use moderate amounts of carbohydrates, fatty acids, and amino acids.The modern era, however, is characterized by unprecedented levels of food supply ().This near continuous intake of calorically dense processed foods, combined with physical inactivity, reduces a predilection for, and directly impedes, metabolic flexibility ().This is caused by substrate competition and metabolic insensitivity, characterized by distorted nutrient sensing, blunted substrate switching, and impaired energy homeostasis ().Importantly, this metabolic inflexibility may underlie the epidemic changes in metabolic disease that affect all demographic groups and burden health-care systems (, ). Defining Metabolic FlexibilityMaintaining energy homeostasis requires substrate sensing, trafficking, storage, and utilization, dependent on substrate availability (push concept) and energy requirement (pull concept).Metabolic plasticity (or adaptability) was recognized in  by Saltin and Gollnick () when they reviewed the metabolic adaptations of skeletal muscle to exercise (see "Physical exercise").The term metabolic flexibility was coined by Kelley et al. () in  when they studied fuel selection in skeletal muscle in lean and obese individuals after an overnight fast.Specifically, they discovered that skeletal muscle of lean individuals showed a remarkable ability to adapt fuel preference to fasting and insulin infusions and were therefore designated as

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This review argues that metabolic flexibility—efficient substrate sensing, trafficking, storage, and use—is central to energy homeostasis, with mitochondria and endocrine signals as key regulators. Disrupted metabolic flexibility is linked to metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, cancer, inflammation, and aging, and may be improved by exercise, dietary restriction, and pharmacological agents.

Key findings

  • Metabolic flexibility is defined as the ability to adapt fuel selection and metabolism to nutrient availability and energy demand; mitochondria are placed at its core, and metabolic inflexibility is associated with metabolic syndrome, T2DM, cancer, and immune dysfunction.
  • The review reports that an estimated 45% of the adult US population is obese or overweight, and that metabolic syndrome is associated with a 33% elevated total cancer mortality.
  • Caloric restriction reduced the incidence of neoplasia by 50% in rhesus monkeys, while CR and exercise are described as interventions that improve metabolic health and may delay age-related disease.
  • After an overnight fast, ketone bodies are in the micromolar range (∼30 μM for women and ∼60 μM for men), and the CNS requires approximately 140 g glucose per day (almost 600 kcal); 100 g d-3-hydroxybutyrate yields 10.5 kg ATP versus 8.7 kg ATP from 100 g glucose.

Methods

  • Narrative review synthesizing human, animal, cellular, and computational literature on metabolic flexibility in health and disease.
  • Covers physiological states (feeding/fasting, prolonged fasting, caloric excess, exercise, cold exposure, hibernation, circadian rhythm, aging), disease contexts (obesity, metabolic syndrome/T2DM, inflammation, immune responses, cardiovascular disease, cancer), and interventions (lifestyle, exercise, diet, pharmaceuticals).
  • No primary experimental design, sample, or systematic search strategy is reported; the paper states it is not comprehensive because of the vast literature and complexity of the field.

Limitations

  • Stated: the review is not comprehensive; many mechanistic links remain unknown, including how metabolic flexibility is perturbed in the elderly, the mechanistic link between circadian disruption and metabolic disease, and the exact contribution of some pathways to thermogenesis.
  • Stated: solid translational steps are often missing, clinical evidence supporting energy-restricting diets in humans is limited, and more work is needed before interventions such as cold-induced browning or carnitine supplementation can be regarded as suitable treatments.
  • Evident from the text: as a narrative review, it lacks a described systematic search or quantitative synthesis; it also notes that animal models differ from humans in vitamin C and bile acid synthesis, and that sex, strain, temperature, and cage-housing density can affect metabolic outcomes, which may limit translation.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1210/er.2017-00211

Cites

324 of 324 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

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Verification

Claims the paper makes

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Show all 88 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 107
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 45
137 of 137
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Human physiology evolved during times of dramatic fluctuations in energy supply and demand.

    “Human physiology evolved during times of dramatic fluctuations in energy supply and demand.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The central nervous system requires approximately 140 g of glucose per day (equivalent to almost 600 kcal), also during fasting.

    “The central nervous system requires approximately 140 g of glucose per day (equivalent to almost 600 kcal), also during fasting.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A sedentary lifestyle is an underlying cause to age-related metabolic pathophysiology and is steadily increasing in prevalence in the general population and strongly increases as people age.

    “One underlying cause to age-related metabolic pathophysiology is a sedentary lifestyle that is steadily increasing in prevalence in the general population and in particular strongly increases as people age.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Mitochondria transform metabolic intermediates such as pyruvate, fatty acids, and amino acids into NADH and/or FAD through β-oxidation and the TCA cycle.

    “Mitochondria are equipped to transform metabolism intermediates such as pyruvate, fatty acids, and amino acids, into the reduced energetic equivalents NADH and/or flavin adenine dinucleotide through β-oxidation and the TCA cycle.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The postprandial state is characterized by various, mainly gut-derived, factors that affect metabolism.

    “The postprandial state is characterized by various, mainly gut-derived, factors that somehow affect metabolism.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Fully functional adipocytes reduce lipotoxicity in tissues such as the heart and liver and maintain a healthy balance of adipokines.

    “Fully functional adipocytes reduce lipotoxicity in tissues such as the heart and liver and they maintain a healthy balance of adipokines, which exert paracrine effects on adipocytes in their direct vicinity and endocrine effects on the central nervous system, immune system, and peripheral tissues.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    At the heart of obesity lies the inability to regulate lipolytic and antilipolytic processes in adipose tissue during starvation and feeding, respectively.

    “At the heart of obesity lies the inability to regulate lipolytic and antilipolytic processes in adipose tissue during starvation and feeding, respectively.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Cardiac performance is sustained by fatty acid and glucose oxidation, although fatty acids are the preferred substrate in the heart because of the higher energy yield compared with glucose.

    “Cardiac performance is sustained by fatty acid and glucose oxidation, although fatty acids are the preferred substrate in the heart because of the higher energy yield compared with glucose.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Most patients with T2DM are overweight or obese and do not exercise frequently.

    “Most patients with T2DM are overweight or obese and do not exercise frequently.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Maintaining an energy-restricting diet is challenging because most people have difficulties maintaining compliance over long periods.

    “Maintaining an energy-restricting diet, however, is challenging, because most people have difficulties maintaining compliance over long periods.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Metabolic flexibility occurs at the substrate, cell, tissue, organ, and organism level and is affected by disease, diet, body composition, and many other (epigenetic) factors.

    “Metabolic flexibility occurs at the substrate, cell, tissue, organ, and organism level and is affected by disease, diet, body composition, and many other (epigenetic) factors.”
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Citations

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7 of the 331 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Saltin, Skeletal muscle adaptability: significance for metabolism and performance, 555

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Metadata

Authors
Smith, R. L., Soeters, M. R., Wüst, R. C. I., & Houtkooper, R. H.
Affiliations
Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam (NL)
Corresponding author
Houtkooper, Riekelt H
Venue
Endocrine Reviews
Published
2018-04-24
Volume
39
Issue
4
Pages
489-517
ISSN
  • 0163-769X (ISSN-L)
  • 1945-7189
OpenAlex
W2800658350
Cited by
787
References
331
Citations by year
2026: 143 · 2025: 166 · 2024: 114 · 2023: 86 · 2022: 98 · 2021: 79 · 2020: 74 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 4
FWCI
4.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Endocrine Reviews (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • VU Research Portal (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • ZonMw
  • H2020 European Research Council (638290)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Metabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology (medical) › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Physiological, Animals, Energy Metabolism, Humans, Inflammation, Metabolic Diseases, Mitochondria, Neoplasms, Signal Transduction, Metabolic Networks and Pathways

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