Nineteen healthy volunteers, made up of two groups were subjected to an extended oral
glucose tolerance study. In one group, each had 50g
glucose and in the other a high
carbohydrate meal.
Blood glucose and serum
trehalase activities were determined on fasting blood samples and specimens collected half-hourly for 4 hours. The values obtained for both at each stage of the investigations were compared with one another. Correlation coefficient (r) between
blood glucose and serum
trehalase were 0.4923 for the fasting samples and 0.4762 at 1 hr. The impact of diabetes and
glycosuria on serum
trehalase activities in 50 diabetics consisting of treated (controlled) and untreated (uncontrolled) cases was also studied. Our study reveals a slight fall in serum
trehalase values from the initial fasting level, but thereafter a gradual and progressive rise during the course of the
glucose tolerance investigations. Serum
trehalase values were higher in diabetics compared to normal subjects (t = 7.0168, P = 0.005). Diabetics with
glycosuria had a significantly higher mean serum
trehalase compared to the controlled group (t = 5.233, P = 0.005). High serum
trehalase values were seen in diabetics with
renal glycosuria at comparatively low levels of
blood glucose. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the possible place of serum
trehalase assay in the management of diabetes, especially when this is made difficult by
renal glycosuria.