Blood glucose and liver glycogen in the rat. Effects of chronic ethanol consumption and its withdrawal on the diurnal rhythms.

In rats, chronic ethanol consumption results in moderate hypoglycemia with no great changes in the diurnal patterns of blood glucose and hepatic glucose. Marked alterations of the diurnal rhythm of liver glycogen were observed in ethanol-fed animals, the phase of the rhythm being shifted and the daily mean and minimum levels being lowered. After withdrawal of ethanol consumption, blood glucose remained at a nearly constant level for 18 h, but then decreased sharply causing the liver/blood gradient of glucose to increase up to 4. Liver glycogen varied with a small amplitude and a nearly inverted phase in withdrawn rats as compared to controls.