DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF GLUCOSE AND FRUCTOSE INFUSIONS ON INSULIN-INDUCED FEEDING IN RATS

Intravenous administration of large doses of insulin rapidly lowered blood glucose concentration and elicited feeding behavior in rats. Infusion of glucose solution into the jugular vein suppressed the feeding response on a calorie-for-calorie basis. Infusion of fructose, a hexose that can nourish peripheral tissue but cannot be oxidized by brain, also lowered food intake after insulin treatment despite continued hypoglycemia. However, the effects of fructose were not as great as those of equimolar glucose solutions except when relatively small doses of insulin were given. These results provide further evidence that a peripheral factor, perhaps involving the liver, can attentuate the feeding that is initiated by acute glucoprivation. © 1979.