Measurement of “true” glucose production rates in infancy and childhood with 6, 6-dideuteroglucose

DM Bier, RD Leake, MW Haymond, KJ Arnold… - Diabetes, 1977 - Am Diabetes Assoc
DM Bier, RD Leake, MW Haymond, KJ Arnold, LD Gruenke, MA Sperling, DM Kipnis
Diabetes, 1977Am Diabetes Assoc
“New” glucose production has been measured in 54 infants and children for the first time by
continuous three-to-four-hour infusion of the safe, nonradioactive tracer 6, 6-
dideuterogiucose. The use of combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with
monitoring of selected ions allowed deuterium enrichment in blood glucose to be measured
on microliter samples with an error of less than 2 per cent. In the young child, glucose
production increased in a slightly curvilinear manner from 1 kg. to 25 kg. body weight, when …
“New” glucose production has been measured in 54 infants and children for the first time by continuous three-to-four-hour infusion of the safe, nonradioactive tracer 6,6-dideuterogiucose. The use of combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with monitoring of selected ions allowed deuterium enrichment in blood glucose to be measured on microliter samples with an error of less than 2 per cent. In the young child, glucose production increased in a slightly curvilinear manner from 1 kg. to 25 kg. body weight, when it reached 140 mg. per minute, almost the adult value of 173 mg. per minute (2.28 ± 0.23 mg./kg. ·min., mean ± S.E.). Normalized for weight, glucose production in premature infants was 5.46 ± 0.31 mg./kg. ·min., in term neonates averaged 6.07 ± 0.46 mg./kg. · min., in children below the age of six years was 7.1 ± 0.27 mg./kg.· min., and in late childhood averaged 5.4 ± 0.28 mg./ kg.· min. Relative to estimated brain weight, however, glucose production was essentially linear from the 1-kg. premature infant to the 80-kg. adult. These data, the first measurements of “new” glucose production in childhood, suggest that brain size may be a principal determinant of those factors that regulate hepatic glucose output throughout life.
Am Diabetes Assoc