ABSORPTION OF INSULIN LABELED WITH RADIOACTIVE IODINE IN HUMAN DIABETES

Abstract

Delay in absorption of insulin from subcutaneous tissues may be one of the factors that reduce the efficiency of insulin and contribute to the condition known as insulin resistance. In 3 diabetic patients with insulin resistance, studies of the respiratory quotient after ingestion of dextrose had indicated so little effect on the quotient even when insulin was given as to suggest that some specific factor might retard the absorption of insulin. When injected intravenously, insulin was more effective than when injected subcutaneously. In 1 of these patients, areas of fatty atrophy under the skin were present not only where insulin had been injected but in certain parts of the body, such as the breasts, where insulin had never been injected. Furthermore, the subcutaneous tissue in certain parts of the thighs and the abdomen of this patient seemed to have a different consistency from the tissue in other parts of the