Elderberry juice may enhance the body's ability to switch fuel sources between feeding and fasting, improving metabolic flexibility, according to a new study published in Nutrients. The study involved overweight and obese adults participating in a controlled, randomized crossover trial comparing elderberry juice consumption against a placebo. Researchers focused on how elderberry juice influences gene expression in immune cells during transitions from fasting to feeding, unveiling molecular pathways linked to metabolic health.
Metabolic flexibility—the body's capability to switch between glucose use after eating and fat oxidation during fasting-is vital for maintaining healthy metabolism. Loss of this flexibility contributes to several metabolic disorders. Elderberries, rich in anthocyanins, have shown promise in enhancing these metabolic processes, but the underlying molecular mechanisms were unclear until now.
In this study, participants consumed elderberry juice or placebo for seven days, followed by a meal tolerance test with high-carbohydrate breakfast. Blood samples collected before and after feeding were analyzed using RNA sequencing to identify changes in gene expression. The elderberry juice group exhibited over four times more differentially expressed genes during the fasted-to-fed transition than the placebo group, highlighting a stronger transcriptional response.
Key genes involved in metabolism, immune response, and insulin signaling showed significant regulation with elderberry juice intake. Notably, pathways related to insulin receptor signaling, autophagy, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid degradation, and cellular growth factors were activated, indicating enhanced metabolic and immune system coordination. Conversely, gene sets related to ribosome activity and oxidative phosphorylation were downregulated after feeding in the elderberry group, suggesting adaptive metabolic responses.
The researchers caution that while peripheral blood mononuclear cells serve as useful surrogates for systemic changes, they do not directly measure metabolic tissues like muscle or liver. Also, some molecular findings differed from previously observed clinical improvements in glucose tolerance and fat oxidation, illustrating the complexity of metabolic responses.
REFERENCE: Teets C, Etter AJ, Solverson PM (2025). One-Week Elderberry Juice Intervention Promotes Metabolic Flexibility in the Transcriptome of Overweight Adults During a Meal Challenge. Nutrients, 17(19), 3142. DOI: 10.3390/nu17193142.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/19/3142
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