Effect of Prolonged Physical Inactivity on Tolerance of Sugar

It is recognized that exercise increases the utilization of dextrose. This fact was first demonstrated by Rakestraw1and by Levine2and their associates, who observed in normal people that a long period of exercise is usually accompanied by a drop in the level of sugar in the blood, although short, strenuous exercise increases the concentration of sugar in the blood. Exercise also lowers the level of blood sugar of persons with diabetes who have an adequate supply of insulin. This effect is so striking that exercise3is now accorded a prominent place in the treatment of diabetes along with diet and insulin. In contrast, there has been no work to show the effect of physical inactivity or prolonged rest in bed on the carbohydrate metabolism in nondiabetic persons. The fact that exercise increases the carbohydrate metabolism does not necessarily mean that inactivity will do the opposite. If