Abnormal dietary regulation of erythrocyte insulin receptor affinity in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Abstract

Decreased insulin binding to receptors is associated with the insulin resistance of obese and non-obese non-insulin-dependent diabetics. 'Down Regulation' by elevated insulin levels has been suggested as the cause, but factors influencing receptor affinity have not been examined. To investigate the control of receptors in diabetes, 10 non-insulin-dependent diabetics and 10 normal subjects were studied after 6 d on low and 6 d on high calorie diets of fixed composition (700 and 2800 Kcal/70 kg of ideal body weight). The binding of insulin by erythrocytes of non-diabetics, as predicted, increased on the low and decreased on the high calorie diets, due to altered affinity. In contrast, the bind..