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Background: Milk products deviate from other carbohydratecontaining foods in that they produce high insulin responses, despite their low GI. The insulinotropic mechanism of milk has not been elucidated. Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effect of common dietary sources of animal or vegetable proteins on concentrations of postprandial blood glucose, insulin, amino acids, and incretin hormones [glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide 1] in healthy subjects. Design: Twelve healthy volunteers were served test meals consisting of reconstituted milk, cheese, whey, cod, and wheat gluten with equivalent amounts of lactose. An equicarbohydrate load of whitewheat bread was used as a reference meal. Results: A correlation was found between postprandial insulin responses and early increments in plasma amino acids; the strongest correlations were seen for leucine, valine, lysine, and isoleucine. A correlation was also obtained between responses of insulin and GIP concentrations. Reconstituted milk powder and whey had substantially lower postprandial glucose areas under the curve (AUCs) than did the bread reference (-62% and -57%, respectively). Whey meal was accompanied by higher AUCs for insulin (90%) and GIP (54%). Conclusions: It can be concluded that food proteins differ in their capacity to stimulate insulin release, possibly by differently affecting the early release of incretin hormones and insulinotropic amino acids. Milk proteins have insulinotropic properties; the whey fraction contains the predominating insulin secretagogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The elimination of metformin is exclusively through the kidneys and elevated plasma concentrations can cause lactic acidosis. We report a case of severe lactic acidosis (pH 6.60) occuring with ostensibly normal therapeutic doses of metformin in the setting of acute renal failure. Continuous veno-venous haemodiafiltration decreased plasma metformin concentrations from 266 lmol/L at presentation to 68 lmol/L, 21 h later. The patient improved rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Metformin is eliminated through glomerular filtration and tubular secretion in the kidneys. New guidelines recommend use of metformin down to a GFR of 30 mL/min under the condition that the dose is adjusted. As the risk of inducing lactic acidosis is very low in connection with administration of iodine contrast media, new recommendations in Sweden say that metformin must be stopped only when GFR is below 45 mL/min. Determination of metformin levels in serum is useful to guide therapeutic dose when GFR is low but also to confirm that lactic acidosis is caused by metformin.