Abstract
The daily ingestion of sodium salts in large amounts (1 to 2 g per kg of body weight per day) was found by Thompson, McQuarrie and Anderson 1 , 2 to increase the ability of diabetic children to utilize carbohydrate, as shown by a marked decrease in glycosuria and a gradual lowering of the fasting blood sugar level. Corresponding potassium salts were found to exert a diametrically opposite effect on carbohydrate metabolism, one part of potassium counteracting the effect of approximately 3 chemically equivalent parts of sodium. The beneficial effect of a high intake of sodium chloride was confirmed in adult diabetic subjects by MacLean 3 and by Sanstead. 4 More recently Crabtree and Longwell 5 have partially explained the action of the excessive intake of sodium salt by their demonstration that it causes a marked increase in the deposition of liver glycogen in young rats. On the other hand Silvette and Britton 6 have recently shown that potassium in large amounts tends to interfere with the deposition of liver glycogen. That potassium is involved in the mechanism of normal carbohydrate metabolism is further suggested by the fact that its level in the blood plasma tends to follow that of glucose, being reduced markedly by the injection of insulin. 7 , 8 In a study on the influence of phlorhizin on the inorganic metabolism in dogs. Kastler 9 found that the serum potassium was decreased while the inorganic phosphorus was increased following the administration of this glucoside.
The present investigation was undertaken with the hope of shedding additional light upon the apparent interrelationship between carbohydrate metabolism and the economy of sodium and potassium.
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