Abstract: The influence of the hormones most involved in glucose homeostasis, C‐peptide, insulin and glucagon on blood viscosity was tested in vitro. Whole blood (adjusted to haematocrit 45%) from healthy volunteers (n=24) and patients with diabetes mellitus (n=17) was incubated with 10−7–10−10 M C‐peptide, insulin or glucagon. None of these peptide hormones, neither at physiological nor at supraphysiological levels, had an influence on high (94.5 s−1) or low (0.1 s−1) shear rate viscosity. The small group of diabetic patients had a higher plasma viscosity and increased blood viscosity at 94.5 s−1, which is in agreement with earlier studies, but decreased viscosity at low shear rate. We conclude that C‐peptide, insulin and glucagon have no direct effect on blood viscosity in vitro. It is, therefore, unlikely that microvascular disturbances seen with either deficiency or excess of these hormones is due to haemorheological factors.
