Key result
Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia lowers core temperature ~0.34°C via skin heat dissipation despite increased metabolic heat production.
Why the study?
Hypoglycemia induces physiological changes that influence thermoregulatory mechanisms, but detailed human responses during hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia and euglycemia were not fully characterized.
Does hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia alter thermoregulatory responses compared to euglycemia and placebo in healthy males?
RCT
Does hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia alter thermoregulatory responses compared to euglycemia and placebo in healthy males?
Hypoglycemia induces a fall in core temperature in healthy humans through evaporative heat loss and peripheral conduction, despite increased metabolic heat production.
Hypoglycemia may impair thermoregulation in vulnerable patients; hypothesis-generating for hypothermia risk in insulin-treated diabetes.
Hypoglycemia induces physiological changes that influence thermoregulatory mechanisms. We studied such responses in a group of healthy males (mean age 23.5 yr, body mass index 23.7 kg/m2) during hyperinsulinemic euglycemia (E; 4.5 mmol/l) and hypoglycemia (H; 2.5 mmol/l) and under placebo control conditions (P; saline). Plasma epinephrine (P < 0.0001) and norepinephrine (P < 0.01) levels increased during H and were unchanged during P and E. During H, early increases in metabolic rate (P < 0.05), forearm blood flow (P < 0.01), and sweating (P < 0.01) were followed by a fall in skin temperature (from -1.2 to -2.6 degrees C) and blood flow (P < 0.01). Core temperature fell after 40 min of H and continued to fall thereafter (-0.34 +/- 0.08 degrees C). E and P had minimal effect on skin temperature and blood flow. In summary, in healthy human subjects, H causes a fall in core temperature by heat dissipation at the skin surface through evaporative heat loss and conduction of heat to the periphery, despite an increase in metabolic heat production.
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Maggs et al. (1994) conducted an RCT in Healthy. Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia vs. Hyperinsulinemic euglycemia (4.5 mmol/l) and placebo (saline) was evaluated on Thermoregulatory responses (core temperature, skin temperature, metabolic rate, sweating, blood flow). Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia in healthy males caused a fall in core temperature (-0.34 +/- 0.08 degrees C) by heat dissipation at the skin surface, despite increased metabolic heat production.
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