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World J Diabetes. Aug 15, 2026; 17(8): 117130
Published online Aug 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.117130
Published online Aug 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.117130
Letter to the Editor: Serum bile acid profiling for diabetic gastrointestinal neuropathy: Promise and pitfalls
Yu-Hong Zhan, Xian-Feng Zhang, Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Affiliated Hangzhou First People’s Hospital, Westlake University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-first authors: Yu-Hong Zhan and Xian-Feng Zhang.
Author contributions: Zhan YH reviewed the literature and write the manuscript; Zhang XF conceptualized and outlined the overall editing framework of the manuscript, and conducted a comprehensive literature review. Zhan YH and Zhang XF contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.
AI contribution statement: DeepSeek was used in polish and improve some sentences. Not any part of the manuscript (Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion) was AI-generated. DeepSeek was used in language polishing, while there is no AI used in data analysis. AI tool participates in design of the study or interpretation of its results. There is no AI generated image in the manuscript.
Supported by Zhejiang Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Project, No. 2025ZL454; Zhejiang Provincial Medical and Health Science and Technology Program Project, No. 2025KY1092; and Construction Fund of Key Medical Disciplines of Hangzhou (Clinical Research and Evaluation), No. 2025HZGF04.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Corresponding author: Xian-Feng Zhang, Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Affiliated Hangzhou First People’s Hospital, Westlake University School of Medicine, No. 261 Huansha Road, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang Province, China. zxf2541@zju.edu.cn
Received: January 2, 2026
Revised: February 10, 2026
Accepted: March 2, 2026
Published online: August 15, 2026
Processing time: 249 Days and 15.6 Hours
Revised: February 10, 2026
Accepted: March 2, 2026
Published online: August 15, 2026
Processing time: 249 Days and 15.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This article critically appraises a novel study linking altered bile acid profiles, specifically taurolithocholic acid, to diabetic gastrointestinal autonomic neuropathy (DGAN). While the findings are biologically plausible and suggest a promising diagnostic model, significant limitations exist. The small sample size, cross-sectional design, and confounding by disease severity and treatment necessitate caution. The results are hypothesis-generating and underscore the need for large-scale validation before this potential biomarker can be considered for clinical risk stratification of DGAN.