THE ACTION OF GLYCOL ALDEHYD AND GLYCERIN ALDEHYD IN DIABETES MELLITUS AND THE NATURE OF ANTIKETOGENESIS

Abstract

It is generally known that the acetone bodies (acetone, aceto-acetic acid and beta-oxybutyric acid) have their origin in butyric acid, which in turn comes from the fats and to a lesser extent from the proteins, and that the main prerequisite for development of acidosis is a diminution in sugar oxidation. When for any reason the daily oxidation of sugar in the body falls below a certain minimum (say 50 to 75 gm. per day for a man weighing 75 kilograms) then some degree of acidosis supervenes. In the acidosis of starvation, in which lowered sugar combustion is the result of a diminished intake of carbohydrate food, the mere administration of sugar serves to stop the accumulation of acetone bodies. In diabetes, in which the lessened oxidation of sugar is due to the inability on the part of the body to attack the glucose molecule, even when present in abundance, the