Abstract
A 24 hour fast was performed with consent of parents, in 85 normal children (55 boys and 30 girls) aged 1 to 18 years. After fast, blood glucose (BG) was measured and additionally in 27 children blood was drawn for plasma alanine (Ala) and free fatty acids (FFA) measurement. The mean BG value after fast was 52 ± 16 mg % in children aged less than 10 years, and 62 ± 7 mg % in children more than 10 years. Individual values in each group were distributed according to a Gaussian curve. The difference between the 2 groups was highly significant (p < 0.001). Fasting values of Ala ranged from 11 to 34 μM % and were highly significantly correlated with age (r = 0.72, p <0.001). FFA values ranged from 0.5 to 8 mEq/1 and were negatively correlated with age (r = 0.59, p<0.01). These data demonstrate that the carbohydrate regulation during fast improves with age in normal children, correlating with a higher degree of proteic neoglycogenesis and a lower rate of lipolysis. This age dependent improvement of proteic neoglyoogenesis is to be related to the fact that in children the accesses of ketotic hypoglycemia disappear spontaneously with age.
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Chaussain, J., Georges, P., Olive, G. et al. 62: Effect of fast in normal children: Influence of age. Pediatr Res 10, 881 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197610000-00059
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197610000-00059