Quantitative characterization of diet effects on glucose tolerance in rabbits.

Normal, atherogenic and butter-enriched diets were given to three groups of rabbits during six months. The effects of the three forms of diet after six months were examined with the intravenous glucose tolerance test, which was evaluated by computer-aided model-fitting and parameter identification. Long-term effects are reflected in parameters such as pancreas sensitivity and the glucose utilization rate constant as a measure of peripheral insulin sensitivity. In these terms, the atherogenic diet caused a diminution of both pancreatic and peripheral sensitivity, whereas the butter-enriched diet led to an increase in glucose utilization and a decrease in pancreatic sensitivity relative to the system parameters of the normally fed control animals. Related to the findings about metabolic regulation are indications for an endocrinological approach to the problems of cholesterogenesis and atheroma formation.