Insulin resistance is a key element in the genesis of several pathophysiological changes. Meal feeding (MF) - one daily 2-hour meal, without food restriction in the period - determines several morpho-metabolic adaptations, some of them suggesting enhanced insulin sensitivity. In the present study with isolated adipocytes, we investigated insulin resistance in rats submitted to meal feeding, making them diabetic (MFD). Later, they were compared with diabetic rats under a free feeding diet (FFD). The insulin-stimulated 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake dose-response curve suggested higher sensitivity, whereas maximum uptake was significantly higher (p<0.05) in MFD rats. This higher sensitivity to insulin had an impact on adipocyte metabolism which showed an increase (p<0.05) in its capacity to oxidize glucose to CO2 and to transform glucose into triacilglicerol. The increase in the cellular response to insulin in MFD rats in vivo resulted in lower insulinemia (p<0.05) and in higher glucose/insulin (G/I) index (p<0.05). In combination, these results indicate that meal feeding improves insulin response in diabetic rats, which can represent an alternative approach in treating diabetes mellitus.
Food restriction; Insulin action; Diabetes mellitus; Glucose uptake; Glucose oxidation; Insulin receptor
