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  • Review Article
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Innate immune cells link dietary cues to normal and abnormal metabolic regulation

Nature Immunology volume 26, pages 29–41 (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

A slew of common metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and steatohepatitis, are exponentially increasing in our sedentary and overfed society. While macronutrients directly impact metabolism and bioenergetics, new evidence implicates immune cells as critical sensors of nutritional cues and important regulators of metabolic homeostasis. A deeper interrogation of the intricate and multipartite interactions between dietary components, immune cells and metabolically active tissues is needed for a better understanding of metabolic regulation and development of new treatments for common metabolic diseases. Responding to macronutrients and micronutrients, immune cells play pivotal roles in interorgan communication between the microbiota, small intestine, metabolically active cells including hepatocytes and adipocytes, and the brain, which controls feeding behavior and energy expenditure. This Review focuses on the response of myeloid cells and innate lymphocytes to dietary cues, their cross-regulatory interactions and roles in normal and aberrant metabolic control.

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Fig. 1: The gut–liver axis in metabolic regulation.
Fig. 2: ILCs orchestrate gastrointestinal and liver physiology in response to dietary components.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants R37AI043477 and R01DK133448.

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  1. Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, Departments of Pharmacology and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Peng Zhang, Kosuke Watari & Michael Karin

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P.Z., K.W. and M.K. jointly conceived and wrote this review. All authors edited and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Zhang, P., Watari, K. & Karin, M. Innate immune cells link dietary cues to normal and abnormal metabolic regulation. Nat Immunol 26, 29–41 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-024-02037-y

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