Alloxan-diabetic rats during acclimation to cold

¹ U. S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts

The survival rate of alloxan-diabetic rats at 5 C was found to be related to the pre-exposure nonfasting blood sugar level. The majority of deaths occurred within the first 2 weeks of cold. Once cold acclimation had been accomplished, the survival rate was 100%. A significant decrease in skeletal muscle glycogen, and the highest percentage of weight loss were found after 2 weeks of cold exposure. A quantitative relationship between survival in the cold and available insulin is suggested. An augmented ability to utilize carbohydrate, related in part to an increased insulin sensitivity, is hypothesized to account for the postacclimation findings.