SummaryIn the absence of administered insulin, severely alloxan diabetic rats are unable effectively to utilize a carbohydrate regimen at levels sufficient to sustain the elevated metabolic rate necessary for extended survival in cold. However, mild to moderately diabetic rats not only survive at 5°C for periods up to 3 months but show a substantial amelioration in the diabetic state in relation to control animals maintained at 26°C. This was attributed to the development of an increased sensitivity to endogenous insulin activity during confinement in cold.