Summary
The gastro-entero-pancreatic (GEP) hormone response to glucose ingestion is considerably
altered in pregnancy in normal women and gestational diabetics. In normal women, also
the GEP hormone response to protein is changed in pregnancy. In the present investigation,
the gastrin, gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), gut glucagon-like-immunoreactivity
(gut GLI), insulin, pancreatic glucagon, and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) responses
to a protein rich meal in pregnancy and postpartum were studied in 10 women with gestational
diabetes. Five of the women were overweight and five were normal weight. Fasting and
postprandial gut GLI and PP levels were reduced and insulin levels enhanced in pregnancy.
No effect of pregnancy on fasting or postprandial gastrin, GIP, or glucagon levels
was found. In pregnancy as well as postpartum, insulin levels were higher in the overweight
than in the normal weight patients, whereas the concentrations of the other hormones
were similar in the two subgroups of gestational diabetics. It is concluded that the
GEP hormone response to a protein rich meal is influenced by late pregnancy in gestational
diabetics in the same way as in normal women. The physiological consequences of the
findings are not known in detail as yet but they may be important to carbohydrate
metabolism and gastrointestinal physiology in pregnancy.
Key-Words:
Gestational Diabetes
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Pregnancy
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Gastrin
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Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide
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Insulin
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Glucagon
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Pancreatic Polypeptide
