Effect of acetylsalicylic acid on blood glucose and glucose regulatory hormones in mild diabetes.
In order to investigate the effect of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on glucose tolerance and glucose regulatory hormones, ASA was given to 14 diabetic patients for seven days by two different methods. A 50 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed before and after the treatment. Nine of 14 diabetics received a dosage of 1.5 g of ASA three times a day for seven days plus 1.5 g on the eighth day one hr before the test (group I). The other 5 patients had the same dosage of ASA as group I, but were not administered ASA prior to the second OGTT (group II). In group I the ASA treatment improved the glucose tolerance associated with sustained rise of plasma insulin significantly, whereas no significant change in glucose tolerance or plasma insulin was observed in group II compared the pretreatment level. The ASA had no significant effect on plasma glucagon or gastric inhibitory polypeptide in either group I or group II. These results suggest that ASA allievates glucose intolerance in maturity onset diabetics by a direct enhancement of insulin secretion, and, moreover, that it is important to maintain elevated ASA concentrations in their blood.