Effect of dietary sucrose and starch on oral glucose tolerance and insulin-like activity

Abstract

Substituting sucrose for starch, while keeping the fat, protein, salts, and vitamins of the diet constant, resulted in impaired oral glucose tolerance in rats. The time needed to develop impaired tolerance varied with the percentage of sucrose in the diet. In animals fed a diet containing 67% sucrose this took 21–40 days, whereas in rats fed diets with 40 or 33% sucrose, it took 40 and 100 days, respectively. This impairment was reversible if the animals were put back on starch diets, but only a few days were then required to redevelop the impaired tolerance when they were refed the sucrose diet. No difference was found between animals fed carbohydrates as starch and those fed the animal stock diet. Sucrose-fed animals showing an impaired tolerance had more fat in the liver and reduced insulin-like activity in the serum.