Effectiveness of Myo- and d-chiro-inositol in the treatment of metabolic disorders

Metabolic disorders constitute a heterogenous clustering of clinical conditions, which have been associated with an increased risk for developing various chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, as well as with adversely affecting quality of life and longevity. Obesity and diabetes mellitus, sharing a common pathophysiological route with insulin resistance and adipose tissue dysfunction standing centrally, are two of the most representative constituents of metabolic disease, currently affecting hundreds of millions of individuals of all ages globally. Thus, they represent a huge public health challenge that has to be effectively addressed immediately. In this context, inositol, due to its physiological role in energy homeostasis and particularly in insulin signaling, has been acknowledged as potential therapeutic target. Although it seems to primarily target and ameliorate insulin resistance, its effects are rather pleiotropic and associated with beneficial outcomes in clinical practice.