Studies conducted over the last 60 years in animals and in vitro have provided considerable evidence that the mammalian kidney can make glucose and release it under various conditions. Until quite recently, however, it was generally believed that the human kidney was not an important source of glucose except during acidosis and after prolonged fasting. This review will summarize early work in animals and humans, discuss methodological problems in assessing renal glucose release in vivo, and present results of recent human studies that provide evidence that the kidney may play a significant role in carbohydrate metabolism under both physiological and pathological conditions.