The intravenous glucose tolerance equation

Abstract

In man, following a single inj. of glucose, the blood-sugar (y) is related to the time (t) after the inj. by the equation log (y [long dash] y0) = C [long dash]kt, where y0, C and k are constants which vary from test to test. The intraven. glucose-tolerance curve thus approximates to an exponential curve of the form y = Be-kt + y0, where Be = antilog C; and at any instant the rate of fall of blood-sugar is proportional to the excess of the blood-sugar above the "limiting value" y0. A possible interpretation is that there is a straight-line relationship between the rate of utilization of glucose by the tissues and the blood-sugar.