Effect of eight days bed rest on the incretin effect in healthy volunteers

Introduction Admission to the hospital, and particularly to the intensive care unit, leads to a dramatic reduction in physical activity level, which alters the glucose metabolism towards a prediabetic state [1]. Critically ill patients often develop spontaneous hyperglycemia, which is related to an increase in morbidity and mortality [2,3]. The incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) are secreted from the gut in response to a glucose load and stimulate up to 70 % of the insulin secretion from the pancreatic beta cell in healthy persons, which is named the incretin effect [4]. The incretin effect is reduced in critically ill patients [5], but the underlying mechanism has not yet been determined.