Some effects of acute cold stress on carbohydrate metabolism in the rat

Eviscerated, nephrectomized rats were used as peripheral tissue preparations to study the rate of utilization of glucose after acute (24 h) exposure of intact animals to cold. The preparations taken from fed (but not fasted) rats 1) required more glucose infused IV to maintain normoglycemia and 2) disposed of single IV loads of glucose more rapidly than normal. Cold lowered both glucose concentration in blood and liver glycogen, although more food was eaten. Plasma insulin was normal or below.

Acute cold-induced shivering thermogenesis in fed rats is associated with increased rates of utilization of glucose by skeletal muscle that are not dependent on insulin.