Aims/hypothesis. The electrons of the glycolysis-derived reduced form of NADH are transferred to mitochondria through the NADH shuttle system. There are two NADH shuttles: the glycerol phosphate and malate-aspartate shuttle. Mice with a targeted disruption of mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a rate-limiting enzyme of the glycerol phosphate shuttle, are not diabetic and have normal islet glucoseinduced secretion. In this study, we analyzed if environmental factors, such as a high carbohydrate diet could contribute to the development of Type 2 diabetes mellitus in mice with a specific defective genetic background. Methods. The mice were fed with a high carbohydrate diet for 1 and 6 months, and several biochemical parameters were analysed. The mitochondrial respiratory activity was assayed by polarography; and the islet function was studied by islet perifusion and pancreas perfusion.Results. The high carbohydrate diet induced hyperglycaemia, hyperinsulinaemia, and islet hyperplasia in the wild-type and heterozygote mice. Activity of the respiratory chain complex I also increased in these mice. In contrast, these effects were not observed in the null mice fed with the diet; in addition, these null mice had an increased insulin sensitivity compared to wild-type mice. Conclusion/interpretation. The phenotype of the mice with an impairment of NADH shuttles does not worsen when fed a high carbohydrate diet; moreover, the diet does not compromise islet function. [Diabetologia (2003[Diabetologia ( ) 46:1394[Diabetologia ( -1401 Keywords High carbohydrate diet, mitochondrial metabolism, mGPDH, beta cell, glycerol phosphate shuttle, insulin secretion. A. Barberà and M. Gudayol have contributed equally to this paper Diabetologia