and your intestines make sugar......

Control of Blood Glucose in the Absence of Hepatic Glucose Production During Prolonged Fasting in Mice

Induction of Renal and Intestinal Gluconeogenesis by Glucagon (DIABETES December 2011 vol. 60 no. 12 3121-3131)

(Mutel et al)

As kirsty and Brie begin a fasting experiment, i was reminded that everyone, including me, consideres the liver to be the major source of endogenous glucose production. But, now apparently the kidneys and intestine can also produce glucose in blood, particularly during fasting and under protein feeding. Well, I’ll be a lab rats uncle!

Anyway, after tagging some enzymes, this study shows that the absence of hepatic glucose release had no major effect on the control of fasting plasma glucose concentration. Instead, and this is sneaky, gluconeogenesis occurred in the kidneys and intestine, driven by glucagon, glucocorticoids, and acidosis. Although this was mainly in wild-type mice. We dont know if calm or happy mice would do the same

But this study does sort of provide a “ definitive quantitative estimate of the capacity of extra-hepatic gluconeogenesis to sustain fasting endogenous glucose production under the control of glucagon, regardless of the contribution of the liver. Thus, the current dogma relating to the respective role of the liver and of extra-hepatic gluconeogenic organs in glucose homeostasis requires re-examination“

In short if Brie and kirsty claim to be wondering around, sugar deprived, they are not. Their little intestines are pumping out Mars bars and sweets as Im writing