Galarza Guzmán M, Peñaloza Imaña R, Echalar Afcha L, Aguilar Valerio M, Spielvogel H, Sauvain M
Laboratorio de Bioquímica, Instituto Boliviano de Biología de la Altura, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Orstom, Bolivia.
Medicina (B Aires). 1997;57(3):261-4.
The effects of coca chewing on the glucose tolerance test were measured. The subjects were 14 habitual coca chewers and 14 non-chewers. All were of Aymara ancestry and came from a rural community from the "Altiplano" close to the city of La Paz. The coca users chewed coca leaves during 3 1/2 hours of the test. The non-chewers showed a significant hypoglycemia at 120 minutes of the test. This effect was not observed in the coca chewers. The hormonal counter-regulation response to hypoglycemia worked perfectly in non-chewers, since glucose levels reached normal values at 180 minutes of the test. These results suggest that coca chewers, at high altitude do not present hypoglycemia, due to an antagonic action of coca metabolites on insulin; allowing a greater availability of glucose in the organism. This would have a positive effect on metabolism in an environment of hypobaric hypoxia, known to lead to situations of hypoglycemia.
测量了咀嚼古柯叶对葡萄糖耐量试验的影响。受试者包括14名习惯性咀嚼古柯叶者和14名不咀嚼者。所有人均为艾马拉族裔，来自拉巴斯市附近“阿尔蒂普拉诺”地区的一个农村社区。在测试的3个半小时内，古柯使用者咀嚼古柯叶。不咀嚼者在测试120分钟时出现明显低血糖。在咀嚼古柯叶者中未观察到这种效应。不咀嚼者对低血糖的激素反调节反应正常，因为在测试180分钟时血糖水平恢复到正常。这些结果表明，在高海拔地区，咀嚼古柯叶者不会出现低血糖，这是由于古柯代谢产物对胰岛素的拮抗作用，使得机体中葡萄糖的可用性更高。这将对低压缺氧环境中的新陈代谢产生积极影响，已知这种环境会导致低血糖情况。
