EFFECTS OF HYPERGLYCEMIA AND HYPERINSULINEMIA ON SATIETY IN HUMANS

Hyperglycemia may influence satiety. One mechanism by which glucose co uld influence food intake is hyperinsulinemia. Therefore, we investiga ted the short-term effects of acute hyperglycemia and euglycemic hyper insulinemia on satiety. Six healthy volunteers (aged 20 to 26 years) w ere studied for 240 minutes on three separate occasions in random orde r during (1) intravenous (IV) saline (control), (2) acute hyperglycemi c hyperinsulinemia (HG) with plasma glucose at 15 mmol/L, and (3) eugl ycemic hyperinsulinemia (HI) with plasma insulin at 80 mU/L and glucos e at 4 to 5 mmol/L. Subjective criteria for appetite like the wish to eat, prospective feeding intentions (''How much food do you think you can eat?''), and feelings of hunger and fullness were scored on a 100- mm visual analog scale (VAS) at 30-minute intervals. Appetite was also measured every 60 minutes with the use of a food selection list (FSL) . Appetite (prospective feeding intentions, feelings of hunger, and th e wish to eat) gradually increased over basal levels during control co nditions and HI. In contrast, prospective feeding intentions and feeli ngs of hunger gradually decreased during HG and were significantly (P <.05) reduced versus basal and control levels during the last hour of the experiment. The wish to eat followed the same pattern. Feelings of fullness did not significantly change in all three experiments. Total food selection was not significantly decreased during HG, but the pre ference for fat-rich or carbohydrate-rich items tended to be reduced. The study suggests that in humans hyperglycemia induces satiety. This effect seems not to be mediated by insulin, since HI had no effect on appetite. However, a potentiating effect of endogenous insulin on the satiating effect of high blood glucose levels cannot be excluded. Copy right (C) 1998 by W.B. Saunders Company.