Adv Exp Med Biol
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Insulin resistance has been measured in man by nonsteady state tracer methodology. Increase in overall glucose utilization and suppression of glucose production was measured when hyperglycemia was achieved either by infusing glucagon or glucose. With the first method, insulin resistance was assessed in obese man and in lean hypertriglyceridemic patients. ⋯ The mechanism behind the increased glucose cycle activity is not clear. It may be due to a relative decrease of glycogen synthase or increase in glucose-6-phosphatase or both. These observations in mild lean type II diabetics may have implications also in some other types of diabetes, since we have observed that futile cycling is even more marked in obese type II diabetics and that it could account in part for the diabetogenic effect of growth hormone in acromegalics.