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The Effects of Pregnancy and Feeding on the Insulin and Glucose Concentrations in Blood of Ewes in Late Pregnancy

Drægtighedens og fodringens indflydelse på koncentrationen af insulin og glukose i blodet hos højdrægtige far

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 29, pages 401–405 (1988)Cite this article

Abstract

In 8 experimental ewes on normal diet the influence of pregnancy and feeding on insulin and glucose in the blood was studied. A reduction in insulin concentration was found as pregnancy advanced. Blood glucose fluctuated, but during late pregnancy the blood glucose level was significantly lower in twin–pregnant ewes than in ewes pregnant with 1 fetus. No increase in insulin concentration was demonstrated in twin–pregnant ewes after feeding, on the contrary an increase was found in ewes pregnant with 1 fetus. A limited effect of feeding on the glucose concentration was observed, especially compared to the reference range. A positive correlation was obtained between the concentration of glucose and insulin in the blood.

Sammendrag

Drægtighedens og fodringens indflydelse på insulin og glukose hos 8 forsøgsfår på normal fodring blev studeret. Der blev registreret et tydeligt fald i blodets insulinkoncentration, efterhånden som drægtigheden skred frem. Glukosekoncentrationen i blodet hos fårene varierede meget, men i den sidste del af drægtigheden fandtes forskelle i glukosekoncentrationen i blodet, hvor glukoseindholdet i blodet hos tvillingdrægtige får var lavest. Der kunne ikke måles en forøgelse af insulinkoncentrationen efter en foderoptagelse hos de tvillingdrægtige får i modsætning til får med et enkelt foster. Fodringens indflydelse på glukosekoncentrationen var minimal, specielt i forhold til referenceområdet. Der fandtes en positiv sammenhæng mellem koncentrationen af insulin og glukose i blodet.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by The Icelandic Science Foundation. I whish to thank all the members of the Clinical Central Laboratory and the Department of Internal Medicine, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen for their contribution. Further I would like to thank Statens Husdyrbrug–forsog, Copenhagen for carrying out the insulin analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ambulatory Clinic and Clinical Central Laboratory, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Helgi Sigurdsson

  2. Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, P. O. Box 8540, IS-128, Reykjavik, Iceland

    Helgi Sigurdsson

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  1. Helgi Sigurdsson
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Sigurdsson, H. The Effects of Pregnancy and Feeding on the Insulin and Glucose Concentrations in Blood of Ewes in Late Pregnancy. Acta Vet Scand 29, 401–405 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548635

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Keywords

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147