Mellituria and Postprandial Blood Sugar Curves in Dogs after the Ingestion of Various Carbohydrates with the Diet

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Abstract
When dextrin-maltose, corn syrup or sucrose furnished 54% of the calories in the diet of beagle dogs there were no signs of intolerance although there was some mellituria. However, when lactose was the dietary carbohydrate, diarrhea and malaise ensued immediately. Fructosuria and galactosuria, but not glucosuria, occurred along with sucrosuria and lactosuria, respectively. Maltose was not detected in the urine. The postprandial blood sugar values obtained by the Somogyi method were higher than those obtained by the glucose oxidase method. This discrepancy may possibly be explained by the presence in the blood of the same non-glucose reducing substances (saccharoids?) observed in the urine. The differences in utilization of the different carbohydrates as shown by mellituria and postprandial blood sugar curves in dogs show similarities to certain human conditions and have nutritional implications with respect to species differences in availability and utilization of carbohydrate calories. The dog may be a useful experimental subject for the study of carbohydrate intolerance as observed in human subjects.