The grizzly could help in diabetes research.
Humans are not the only animal species to suffer from many diseases. A recent study showed that the grizzly also suffered from diabetes. Except that for the bear, this diabetes is reversible and natural . The study is surprising.
A study carried out by Lynne NELSON and Heiko SANSEN, from the University of Washington, the results of which were published at the beginning of August in the journal “Cell Metabolism” (1) , would have highlighted a natural state and reversible diabetes in North American brown bears.
The bear and diabetes: a surprising study
The study looked at Grizzlies for a year. The bear being an animal that hibernates in winter, for this it needs to make a lot of fat reserves, which is why it can practically double its weight , being able to store up to 200 kg of fat.
For humans, doubling their weight would have extremely harmful consequences on health, such as greatly increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Remember that, in humans, certain cells are no longer able to respond to insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar (blood sugar). This is called type 2 diabetes. This insulin resistance is favored by obesity.
In the bear, the consequences of this immense weight gain are very surprising . Indeed, the bear being obese at the beginning of its hibernation, this weight gain has no influence on its state of health. It is only a few weeks later that diabetes will develop in the animal. And what is even more amazing is that the bear will “heal” in the spring, when it wakes up.
This reversible effect of diabetes would be due to hyper-sensitivity to insulin in obese bears, and this due to the inactivity of a protein called PTEN . This protein is present in fat cells.
While obesity in humans is bad for his health, in bears it serves, in a way, to save his life.
Doctor CORBIT, co-author of this study and researcher at the medical biotechnology company Amgen in California, indicates that “ diabetes and obesity can coexist naturally ”. For now, “ extrapolation of these observations to preclinical research requires great caution ,” he adds. He points out that in some people, the cellular mechanisms involved in obesity can protect them from diabetes and vice versa.
The little brown bear could therefore well help researchers in the future to develop future therapies against diabetes , also helping to better understand the relationship between obesity and diabetes.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.