Dolphins could hint at cure for diabetes--study
POSTED February 20, 2010 - 12:00 | POSTED BY Neha Jindal
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on February 20, 2010 - 12:22
Researchers at the U.S. National Marine Mammal Foundation revealed that bottlenose dolphins that develop type 2 diabetes like humans also exhibit a form of insulin resistance, quite similar to humans. But surprisingly enough, the aquatic mammals also have an ability to switch this term on and off, making it less harmful.
Lead researcher Stephanie Venn-Watson, veterinary epidemiologist, National Marine Mammal Foundation said, “Bottle-nosed dolphin is an important, natural and long-lived model for insulin resistance and diabetes, a disease that accounts for 5 per cent of human deaths globally.”
“It is our hope that this discovery can lead to novel ways to prevent, treat and even cure diabetes in humans while also benefiting dolphin health,” Venn-Watson added.
Details of the study
For the study, the research team examined 1,000 blood samples from 52 dolphins over a period of 21 weeks. They measured the levels of insulin in the dolphins two hours after the mammals ate.
The team found that dolphins with particularly high levels of insulin also had an excessive amount of iron or hemochromatosis for the past 10 years. Iron overload is associated particularly with patients suffering from type 2 diabetes.
Link between dolphins and humans
It has been established that both humans and dolphins have big brains and blood cells that have ability to carry large amounts of glucose.
According to Venn-Watson, “When dolphins fast overnight they develop diabetes, then when they are fed in the morning they revert back to a non-diabetic state. Effectively they have a switch which can turn diabetes on and off.”
It is known through previous research that similar to the changes occurring in diabetic humans, fasting dolphins show alterations in blood chemistry and glucose levels. However, their system tends to keep the blood sugar levels high in their bodies.
“While some people may eat high-protein diets to help control diabetes, dolphins appear to have developed a diabetes-like state to support a high-protein diet. It works to their advantage to have a condition that keeps blood sugar in the body,” stated Venn-Watson.
Venn-Watson concluded that, “Discovering how dolphins control this may help humans turn diabetes off.”
The research was presented at San Diego conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
