Plasma insulin, glucagon, glucose, free fatty acids and glycerol, hepatic cyclic AMP and glycogen, and liver phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), glucose 6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and alanine amino transferase (AAT) activities were examined in adult rats during the first 24 h of either starvation or consumption of a high protein, carbohydrate-free (HP) diet. Under both nutritional conditions, plasma insulin fell within 12 h and remained constant thereafter. Glucagon increased 12 h after the start of the experiment and peaked between 18-24 h. The insulin: glucagon ratio was lower during the last 12 h of the experiment. In both experimental groups, liver cyclic AMP increased progressively and peaked between 15-24 h, but it increase was higher on HP diet than on starvation. Whereas plasma glucose remained low on starvation for 24 h, it returned to normal on consumption of the HP diet. In both groups, liver glycogen fell within 12 h and remained low until the end of experiment. FBPase, G6Pase and AAT did not change on starvation, while they increased toward the end of 1 d HP consumption. During starvation or consumption of the HP diet, PEPCK increased progressively and peaked between 15-24 h, but the increase was greater with the HP diet than with starvation. These findings suggest that in the first 24 hours, the adaptative response of hepatic gluconeogenesis is higher with a HP diet than upon starvation.