Plasma glucose, insulin, FFA, glucagon, and GH concentrations were measured over an 8-h period in normal subjects and patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Meals were consumed at 0800 h (20% of daily calories) and noon (40% of daily calories), and measurements were made hourly from 0800-1600 h. Day-long plasma glucose, insulin, and FFA concentrations were higher than normal (by two-way analysis of variance) in patients with NIDDM, whether obese or nonobese. In addition, day-long plasma glucagon concentrations were also higher than normal (by two-way analysis of variance) in both nonobese and obese patients with NIDDM. Furthermore, direct relationships were found between the total plasma glucagon response from 0800-1600 h and total plasma glucose (r = 0.57; P less than 0.001) and FFA (r = 0.30; P less than 0.06) responses. In contrast, plasma GH levels were not increased in patients with NIDDM. These data demonstrate that ambient plasma concentrations of both glucose and FFA are higher in patients with NIDDM, despite the fact that coexisting plasma insulin levels are equal to or higher than normal. The higher day-long plasma glucagon levels in patients with NIDDM may contribute to their higher plasma glucose and FFA concentrations.

Plasma glucose, insulin, and FFA concentrations were determined in 15 normal subjects and 15 patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) from 0800 to 1600 h. Breakfast and lunch were consumed at 0800 and 1200 h, respectively, and plasma concentrations were measured at hourly intervals from 0800-1600 h. Plasma glucose concentrations between 0800 and 1600 h were significantly elevated in patients with NIDDM, and the higher the fasting glucose level, the greater the postprandial hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia in patients with NIDDM was associated with plasma insulin levels that were significantly higher (P less than 0.001) than those in normal subjects, and substantial hyperinsulinemia occurred between 0800 and 1600 h in patients with mild NIDDM (fasting plasma glucose concentrations, less than 140 mg/dl). Both fasting and postprandial FFA levels were also increased in patients with NIDDM (P less than 0.001), and the greater the plasma glucose response, the higher the FFA response (r = 0.70; P less than 0.001). However, there was no significant correlation between plasma insulin and FFA concentrations. More specifically, hyperinsulinemic patients with mild diabetes (fasting plasma glucose, less than 140 mg/dl) maintained normal ambient FFA levels, while FFA concentrations were significantly elevated in patients with severe NIDDM (fasting plasma glucose, greater than 250 mg/dl), with insulin concentrations comparable to those in normal subjects. These results demonstrate that patients with NIDDM are not capable of maintaining normal plasma FFA concentrations. This defect in FFA metabolism is proportionate to the magnitude of hyperglycemia and occurs despite the presence of elevated levels of plasma insulin. These results are consistent with the view that insulin resistance in NIDDM also involves the ability of insulin to regulate FFA metabolism.

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The ability of insulin to stimulate tissue glucose uptake and lower plasma FFA concentrations was quantified in 12 individuals with normal glucose tolerance and 12 patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), further subdivided into obese and nonobese subjects. Measurements were made during 5-h glucose clamp studies, carried out at plasma insulin concentrations of about 10 microU/ml (0-150 min) and about 60 microU/ml (150-300 min). Differences between the patient groups were compared by two-way analysis of variance. The ability of insulin to either suppress plasma FFA concentrations or stimulate glucose uptake was significantly reduced (P less than 0.001) in patients with NIDDM, and this was true of both the obese and nonobese groups. The defect in the ability of insulin to suppress plasma FFA concentrations in patients with NIDDM was more apparent at the lower insulin concentration, whereas resistance to insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in NIDDM was more dramatic at the high insulin concentration. Finally, a significant correlation (r = -0.67; P less than 0.001) between insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and plasma FFA concentration was found in the entire group. These data emphasize the fact that patients with NIDDM are resistant to multiple actions of insulin, and that the magnitudes of the defect in insulin suppression of plasma FFA levels and stimulation of tissue glucose uptake are roughly comparable.

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The present studies were initiated to assess the effect of insulin on muscle, liver, and adipose tissue in eight control and eight physically trained individuals matched for age and body mass index. Results indicated that percent body fat was 53% lower and maximal oxygen consumption 50% higher in physically trained subjects. Although the plasma glucose response to a standard oral glucose challenge was similar in the two groups, the insulin response was significantly lower in the trained individuals (P less than 0.001). Mean (+/- SE) insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, quantified in vivo by the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp technique, was significantly greater in physically trained individuals at steady-state plasma insulin concentrations of approximately 10 microU/ml (3.41 +/- 0.14 vs. 2.73 +/- 0.22 mg.kg fat free mass-1.min-1, P less than 0.05) and 50 microU/ml (13.58 +/- 0.75 vs. 9.82 +/- 0.53 mg.kg fat free mass-1.min-1, P less than 0.001). In addition, mean (+/- SE) hepatic glucose production rate was lower in physically trained subjects at insulin levels of 10 microU/ml (0.63 +/- 0.19 vs. 1.19 +/- 0.22 mg.kg body wt-1.min-1, P less than 0.05) and 50 microU/min (0.18 +/- 0.14 vs. 0.60 +/- 0.17 mg.kg body wt-1.min-1, P less than 0.05). Finally, the ability of insulin to stimulate mean (+/- SE) glucose uptake above basal levels was greater in adipocytes isolated from trained individuals (94 +/- 10 vs. 56 +/- 14 fl.cell-1.s-1, P less than 0.01). On the other hand, no difference in specific binding of insulin to its receptor on monocytes was noted between the two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Fasting and postprandial plasma concentrations of glucose, FFA, insulin, glucagon, and GH concentrations were determined in 10 nonobese and 10 obese subjects with normal glucose tolerance. Measurements were made at 0800 h (after a 14-h fast) and at hourly intervals from then until 1600 h. During this time period all individuals ate breakfast at 0800 h (20% of total daily calories) and lunch (40% of total daily calories). Although plasma glucose concentrations were similar throughout the 8-h period in the 2 groups, plasma insulin concentrations were significantly (P less than 0.001) higher in the obese individuals. However, despite the presence of hyperinsulinemia, the obese group also had higher (P less than 0.001) plasma FFA concentration throughout the day. On the other hand, both the absolute and the relative declines in plasma FFA concentration after meals were similar in the 2 groups. Since plasma glucagon and GH concentrations were similar in the 2 groups, altered production of these lipolytic hormones was not responsible for the elevated plasma FFA levels in the obese individuals. These data document the presence in obese individuals of a disassociation in their ability to maintain normal plasma glucose as opposed to plasma FFA homeostasis, and indicate that the increase in plasma FFA concentrations in obesity occurs in the presence of hyperinsulinemia and is not related to abnormalities of either glucagon or GH secretion.