Effect of Insulin on Rate of Metabolism of Ethyl Alcohol

Abstract

Summary

Insulin in a dose of 1 unit per kg was found to be variably effective in accelerating the rate of alcohol metabolism, the effect being striking in 2 dogs, much less in another. This is in accord with the variable results reported by Widmark.⁴ Half this dose was entirely ineffective in 2 dogs. The failure of Gregory and coworkers⁷ to demonstrate this accelerating action of insulin in adequate dosage must be due to the possibility that their 6 dogs fell, by chance, into the group of animals which does not show a striking acceleration with insulin.