Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in malnourished children

1. In malnourished, compared with recovered children, fasting blood glucose concentrations were low and there was impaired peripheral glycolysis as shown by a failure of blood lactate to rise after glucose was injected intravenously. 2. Homogenates of muscle biopsies from malnourished and recovered children produced equal amounts of lactate when incubated anaerobically with various substrates, but when compared with homogenates of biopsies from normal children the pattern suggested an impairment of glycolysis. 3. The rate of glucose disappearance after intravenous glucose was slow in the malnourished child and there was possibly diminished sensitivity to exogenous insulin. 4. Isocaloric diets relatively high or low in fat were fed to children who had recovered from malnutrition. Glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, fasting plasma insulin and insulin response to intravenous glucose were all the same in children on either diet.