Glucose ingestion selectively amplifies ACTH and cortisol secretory-burst mass and enhances their joint synchrony in healthy men.

Context: Glucose intake is associated with a variable increase in adrenal glucocorticoid secretion. Hypothesis: Glucose ingestion elevates cortisol secretion by 1) augmenting pulsatile ACTH release; and/or 2) enhancing ACTH-cortisol synchrony or dose-responsiveness. Subjects: Fifty-eight healthy men ages 19–78 yr with computed tomography-estimated abdominal visceral fat participated in the study. Location: The study was conducted at the Clinical Translational-Research Center and Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Methods: We conducted frequent sampling of plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations after glucose vs. water ingestion in the fasting state, as well as deconvolution, approximate entropy, linear-regression, and dose-response analysis. Outcomes: After water ingestion, age was a negative correlate of the mass of ACTH (P = 0.009; R2 = 0.119) and of cortisol (P < 0.001; R2 = 0.269) secreted per burst. Glucose ingestion abolished both relationships but amplified pulsatile ACTH (P = 0.009) and cortisol (P ...