Effect of pure zinc deficiency on glucose tolerance and insulin and glucagon levels

The effect of zinc deficiency on glucose tolerance was investigated using intragastric force feeding to obviate decreased food intake and altered eating patterns. Three groups of weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a purified zinc-deficient diet: zinc-deficient, ad libitum-fed animals (ZDA) were offered powdered zinc-deficient diet; zinc-replete, force-fed controls (ZRF) were tube fed a diet blended with water containing 25 ppm of zinc; zinc-deficient, force-fed animals (ZDF) were similarly tube fed the zinc-deficient diet. The ZRF and ZDF groups received a diet of identical amount based on the intake of ad libitum-fed, zinc-replete rats. After 8 days of feeding, the ZDF group had impaired glucose tolerance curves, yet blood insulin and glucagon levels were normal. The ZDA group had normal glucose tolerance with low insulin levels compared with the ZRF group. The islet cell morphology among the three dietary groups were similar. These results suggest that the glucose intolerance observed in ZDF rats is not due to altered blood insulin and glucagon levels but rather to peripheral resistance to insulin action.