REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Metabolism
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1699259
This article is part of the Research TopicNutrient Metabolism and Complications of Type 2 Diabetes MellitusView all 27 articles
Nutrient Metabolism and Complications of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Implications for Rehabilitation and Precision Care
Provisionally accepted
- China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Systemic disruptions in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and micronutrients cause micro-and macrovascular damage and impede recovery, which is the driving force behind type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Neuropathy, nephropathy, foot ulcers, and sarcopenia are symptoms of persistent hyperglycemia, lipotoxicity, excess branched-chain amino acids, and deficiencies in magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D that impair insulin signaling, mitochondrial integrity, and tissue repair. Functional decline is accelerated in skeletal muscle and peripheral nerves due to advanced glycation end-product deposition, ectopic lipid accumulation, and impaired glucose uptake. Micronutrient deficiency hinders wound healing and immune function, while altered nitrogen handling and progressive albuminuria intensify catabolism in the kidney. Controlled protein intake, micronutrient replacement, and microbiome-informed precision diets are targeted nutritional interventions that reduce complications by preserving renal function, restoring nerve integrity, and promoting wound closure. By combining machine learning analytics with continuous glucose monitoring, macronutrient ratios can be changed in real time, improving individualized care. Improved mobility, less neuropathic pain, and better glycaemic control are the results of integrating systematic nutritional assessment and treatment into multidisciplinary rehabilitation protocols. The translation in standard practice continues to be obstructed by inconsistent evaluation tools, lack of availability of omics technologies and few nurse-led randomized trials. Future studies must comprehensively evaluate the long-term effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of tailored nutrition in rehabilitation frameworks to lessen the burden of complications and restore functional autonomy in people suffering from type-2 diabetes.
Keywords: T2DM, Micronutrient deficiency, Precision nutrition, glucose monitoring, Multidisciplinary rehabilitation
Received: 05 Sep 2025; Accepted: 07 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yu, Liu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hong Li, hongli2018@jlu.edu.cn
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.