Insulin response to glucose and glucose tolerance following feeding in sheep.

Sheep offered a roughage diet for 4 h daily were injected intravenously with glucose before and at various times after feeding. The insulin secretory response to glucose and the rate of disappearance of injected glucose were determined. While the basal concentration of plasma insulin was unchanged, the base-line plasma glucose concentration tended to decrease during the meal. The glucose load brought about an increase in the plasma insulin concentration at each injection, but the insulin response to glucose and the rate of glucose disposal were increased during the meal. On varying the time of feeding between 08.00 and 16.00 hours, the increase in the insulin response to glucose and in the rate of glucose disposal always appeared to be related to the giving of food, independent of the time food was offered. It is concluded that feeding increases the insulin response to an intravenous glucose load even when the increase in the basal level of plasma insulin on feeding is very modest in sheep given a roughage diet. The increased insulin response and glucose disposal rate following feeding did not appear to be related to diurnal rhythms in insulin secretory activity or glucose metabolism.