Glucose metabolism in the basal state and during a two-hour glucose infusion in low insulin responders and control subjects.

Glucose metabolism was studied in eight low insulin responders to glucose and eight controls using a primed-constant tracer infusion technique. The tracer was 3-3H-glucose. The former group demonstrated a lower IVGTT than the controls, although the K-values were well within the normal range. They also attained higher blood glucose levels during iv administration of high and low glucose loads. Glucose turnover studies revealed normal hepatic glucose production, normal total glucose uptake and normal metabolic clearance of glucose in the low responders as a group. The findings suggest normal sensitivity to insulin in these subjects, and imply that the low insulin response is the sole mediator of the observed lowering in IVGTT.