Hypersecretion of gastric inhibitory polypeptide following oral glucose in diabetes mellitus.

Gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) is insulinotropic and is released after ingestion of glucose in normal man. Changes in plasma immunoreactive gastric inhibitory polypeptide (IRGIP) were therefore studied during a 50-gm. oral glucose tolerance test in 10 normal subjects and 20 subjects with maturity-onset diabetes mellitus. The diabetics were nonobese and treated by diet alone; they exhibited exaggerated increments of plasma IRGIP in association with delayed and diminished peak increases in plasma immunoreactive insulin, suggesting relative failure of the beta-cell response to GIP. The diabetic subjects also showed a paradoxic rise in mean plasma immunoreactive glucagon, with a peak coinciding with that of plasma IRGIP. It is suggested that the defective beta-cell response may lead to diminished feedback inhibition of GIP secretion by insulin in diabetes mellitus and that the glucagonotropic action of GIP may be expressed under these conditions.