Glucose: more than a metabolic biomarker

Abstract

Glucose is a molecule that can induce inflammation by 4 principal mechanisms such as: the expression and activation of toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4), induction of mitochondrial dysfunction, as a substrate of glycolytic pathways of inflammatory cells and by post-translational modifications, these mechanisms are explained in more detail in this manuscript. Considering that glucose is an inflammation inductor, diet could contribute to the modulation of inflammatory processes, so it is important to identify biomarkers of glycemic status that allow to monitor and control glucose levels. The classical biomarkers for glycemic evaluation include fasting glucose, oral glucose tolerance test, and glycated hemoglobin. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is another tool for the evaluation of glycemic status, which allows to identify glucose variability on an individualized basis, under basal and postprandial conditions. Glycemic control may be a strategy for the inflammation control, therefore, a nutritional approach based on improving postprandial and daytime glucose levels would contribute to decrease inflammation, and also to the prevention and control of chronic diseases.