Pharmaceutical compositions include compounds with cytokinin activity to modulate glucose and/or lipid metabolism in a mammal. Especially preferred compounds include those comprising a purine scaffold, and it is further preferred that contemplated compositions are employed to prevent and/or treat various diseases, including pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, type-2 diabetes, Syndrome X, and dyslipidemia. In still further preferred aspects, compounds with cytokinin activity are used to activate AMPK and/or Akt. Consequently, various diseases associated with dysregulation of AMPK and/or Akt may be treated using the compounds of the present inventive subject matter.