Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
    • Video Abstracts
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • Microbiome in Health and Disease (Feb 2025)
    • Substance Use Disorders (Oct 2024)
    • Clonal Hematopoiesis (Oct 2024)
    • Sex Differences in Medicine (Sep 2024)
    • Vascular Malformations (Apr 2024)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Video Abstracts
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Top
  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal
  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Advertisement

Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI106445

Glucagon levels and metabolic effects in fasting man

Errol B. Marliss, Thomas T. Aoki, Roger H. Unger, J. Stuart Soeldner, and George F. Cahill Jr.

Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, the Elliott P. Joslin Diabetes Foundation, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02215

Department of Internal Medicine, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, and the V.A. Hospital, Dallas, Texas 75216

Find articles by Marliss, E. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, the Elliott P. Joslin Diabetes Foundation, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02215

Department of Internal Medicine, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, and the V.A. Hospital, Dallas, Texas 75216

Find articles by Aoki, T. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, the Elliott P. Joslin Diabetes Foundation, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02215

Department of Internal Medicine, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, and the V.A. Hospital, Dallas, Texas 75216

Find articles by Unger, R. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, the Elliott P. Joslin Diabetes Foundation, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02215

Department of Internal Medicine, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, and the V.A. Hospital, Dallas, Texas 75216

Find articles by Soeldner, J. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, the Elliott P. Joslin Diabetes Foundation, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts 02215

Department of Internal Medicine, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, and the V.A. Hospital, Dallas, Texas 75216

Find articles by Cahill, G. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Published December 1, 1970 - More info

Published in Volume 49, Issue 12 on December 1, 1970
J Clin Invest. 1970;49(12):2256–2270. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI106445.
© 1970 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published December 1, 1970 - Version history
View PDF
Abstract

The role of glucagon in the metabolic adaptation to prolonged fasting in man has been examined. Plasma immunoreactive glucagon was determined during 6-wk fasts and during infusion of exogenous glucagon using an assay which minimized nonpancreatic immunoreactivity.

Plasma glucagon concentrations rose twofold to a peak on the 3rd day of fasting and then declined thereafter to a level maintained at or above postabsorptive. Insulin concentration declined to a plateau by the 3rd day. Thus a persisting altered relationship of glucagon and insulin concentrations characterized the fasted state. A synergism of low insulin and relative or absolute elevation of glucagon levels is viewed as a hormonal mechanism controlling the rate of hepatic substrate extraction for gluconeogenesis.

Glucagon was infused systemically into 4-6 wk fasted subjects at three dose levels. A marked sensitivity of individual plasma free amino acids to the induced elevations of plasma glucagon within the physiologic range was demonstrated. At higher concentrations, equivalent to those present in the portal vein, stimulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis occurred, and the effects on glucose, insulin, and growth hormone levels and on ketone metabolism were induced.

Images.

Browse pages

Click on an image below to see the page. View PDF of the complete article

icon of scanned page 2256
page 2256
icon of scanned page 2257
page 2257
icon of scanned page 2258
page 2258
icon of scanned page 2259
page 2259
icon of scanned page 2260
page 2260
icon of scanned page 2261
page 2261
icon of scanned page 2262
page 2262
icon of scanned page 2263
page 2263
icon of scanned page 2264
page 2264
icon of scanned page 2265
page 2265
icon of scanned page 2266
page 2266
icon of scanned page 2267
page 2267
icon of scanned page 2268
page 2268
icon of scanned page 2269
page 2269
icon of scanned page 2270
page 2270
Version history
  • Version 1 (December 1, 1970): No description

Article tools

  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal

Metrics

  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Go to

  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
Advertisement
Advertisement

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts