Pancreatic beta-cell secretion after oral glucose and intravenous glucagon: different responses to dietary control of plasma glucose in newly diagnosed patients with NIDDM.

Pancreatic beta-cell secretion after oral glucose or intravenous glucagon stimulation was studied in newly diagnosed patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) before and after glycemic control by diet treatment alone. Insulin secretion to oral glucose showed significant improvement, while C-peptide release by glucagon showed no significant difference before and after diet treatment. The finding suggests that pancreatic beta-cell response to oral glucose varies with different metabolic states, but this is not so after glucagon stimulation in NIDDM patients.