Diabetes 101 Featuring Bears

Bears eat a lot before hibernation. But they don’t get diabetes. (I wish I had this superpower! 🪄)

Wonder why? Their insulin sensitivity works like a seasonal switch. During hibernation, their fat cells become insulin resistant. When they become active again, insulin sensitivity returns.

In 2022, scientists narrowed this switch down to 8 circulating proteins that may help regulate this process.

SO, here is the interesting question: Could understanding how bears reversibly control insulin resistance eventually teach us something about treating diabetes in humans?

Potentially. But we still have a lot to figure out.

Source: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(22)01356-6