Obesity: evidence of decreased secretion of glucagon.

The increase in concentration of glucagon in plasma caused by infusion of alanine was reduced in obese subjects as compared to that in nonobese control subjects. This was true when the subjects were in the postabsorptive state as well as after an 84-hour fast, at which time the basal glucagon concentration had risen in the nonobese subjects, but remained unaltered in the obese group.