Glucose tolerance in fish: Is the daily feeding time important?

Daily rhythms in glucose tolerance have been reported for several species of mammals, which seem to be linked to factors such as daily rhythms of insulin resistance and feeding habits. In this paper, we studied entrainment to a daily scheduled meal of blood glucose after carbohydrate intake (dextrin or glucose). After a meal containing dextrin, blood glucose showed different maximum concentrations (Cmax) and time to peak (Tmax) depending on mealtime, the greatest differences in Cmax being found 2 h after feeding. The highest Cmax (8.22 mmol/l) was obtained when mealtime was set in the middle of the light phase (ML), and the lowest Cmax (3.46 mmol/l) when goldfish were fed in the middle of the dark phase (MD). Cosinor analysis revealed a significant daily rhythm in dextrin tolerance with its acrophase around ML, amplitude of 1.99 mmol/l, and a mesor of 5.49 mmol/l. However, when the carbohydrate source in the meal was glucose, an inverse pattern was observed: higher blood glucose in goldfish fed at MD compared with ML (6.98 vs 4.32 mmol/l, respectively). Similar results were obtained when glucose was administered intraperitoneally, with higher values at MD than at ML (13.82 vs 9.54 mmol/l, respectively). Finally, no differences in amylase activity were observed in the gut after dextrin load at ML and MD (522 vs 446 U/mg protein), discarding the effect of digestive factors in the daily rhythm of tolerance. In conclusion, our results described for the first time a daily rhythm in tolerance to carbohydrate in a teleost fish, highlighting the impact of the time of day in glucose metabolism.