Sexual Differences in Fasting Blood Sugar

Investigators have disagreed as to the changes in blood sugar during fasting; those who have reported a decrease have failed to note a sexual difference. Allen believed that the blood sugar is maintained at 100 mg.% through prolonged starvation, almost up to death. Joslin 2 found the blood sugar decreased from 120 to 90 mg.% during 4 days, in which a healthy woman fasted, save for small quantities of weak bouillon.

Weeks and his co-workers 3 observed 64 epileptics, who fasted 3 weeks. Sugar determinations were made only once a week; the sugar was reported as being maintained at an approximately even level. Acidosis was present, but not severe. Shaw and Moriarty 4 observed epileptic children during 10 to 14 day fasts. They found a steady diminution in blood sugar, with the minimum (46 mg.%) between 3 and 8 days, after which the sugar increased. They considered the diminution in blood sugar peculiar to childhood, since it was supposed that the blood sugar is not much diminished in adults during fasting.

Lennox and his co-workers 5 observed 16 men and 8 women during 3 to 21 day fasts. They noted that the blood sugar fell during the first week of fasting. Their minimum was 65 mg.%. Shope 6 studied one woman who fasted 6 days. He found that the blood sugar decreased to a minimum of 37 mg.%. As the fast continued, a secondary rise in blood sugar occurred. Deuel and Gulick 7 observed 5 men and 5 women during 7 day fasts. The women subjects showed ketosis before the men. It developed more rapidly and became more severe, as shown by both the urine analyses and the carbon dioxide combining power of the plasma. No blood sugar studies were made.