The role of splanchnic glucose appearance in determining carbohydrate tolerance

Postprandial hyperglycaemia in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 is now well-established. Studies of glucose turnover in these patients have shown that this results from a combination of excessive endogenous glucose production and a lack of appropriate stimulation of glucose uptake. In the case of patients with Type 2 diabetes, this may in part be due to a delay in the increase of plasma insulin concentrations. It may be concluded then that agents which delay the absorption of glucose in the postprandial period may help to improve glycaemic control in patients with diabetes by improving the match between meal-derived glucose appearance and the period of insulin availability.