Dolphins have a mechanism that allows them to control levels of blood sugar. A study of dolphins revealed genetic clues that could help scientists find new treatments for type 2 diabetes in humans.
Scientists at the National Marine Mammal Foundation of America (NMMF) found that the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is resistant to insulin, the hormone that regulates glucose levels in the blood-like people suffering type 2 diabetes .
But this resistance in animals can turn on and off, the scientists reported in the Annual Conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) held in San Diego, USA.
Researchers believe that this mechanism “on” works because of the diet of fish high protein and little sugar-feeding whales.
Scientists hope to collaborate with experts in diabetes to see if you can find even control an equivalent in humans.
The team, based in San Diego, took blood samples from trained dolphins consuming “snacks” continuously during the day and fasted overnight.
“The overnight changes in blood chemistry were equal to the changes occurring in human diabetics” he told the BBC Stephanie Venn-Watson, director of veterinary medicine of the Foundation.
“Some people with diabetes eat a diet high in protein to help control their disease, but the dolphins seem to have developed a condition similar to diabetes to consume a high protein diet.
This means, scientists say, that this mechanism allows the dolphins on simulate a state of diabetes when they fast without side effects.
In the morning, when the animals take their breakfast, simply revert to normal without diabetes.
Big brain
Just like humans, dolphins need sugar in the blood to their brains to function properly.
People with type 2 diabetes develops a resistance to insulin and thus loses the ability to control the levels of blood sugar.
Insulin Injection
People with diabetes need to inject insulin to control blood glucose.
If the condition is left unchecked can damage the heart, vision, kidneys and nervous system. According to the World Health Organization this disease causes 5% of all deaths that occur worldwide each year.
So with diabetes need to carefully control the levels of glucose and is often achieved with a diet low in sugar to avoid complications of the disease.
But dolphins insulin resistance seems to offer an advantage.
As explained by Dr. Venn-Watson, cetaceans appear to have evolved with the mechanism that allows them to simulate diabetes because it helps them maintain a high level of blood sugar when food is scarce.
“Bottlenose dolphins have large brains need sugar,” explains the researcher.
“Because his fish diet is low in sugar, the genetic mechanism allows them to keep blood sugar (even fast) to keep the brain well supplied.”
Among mammals, humans and dolphins have bigger brains and both have red cells that are exceptionally permeable to glucose and capable of carrying large amounts of it to the brain.
As already sequenced the genome of the dolphin, scientists hope to compare the genes of the whale with the human being to seek a similar mechanism in the latter.
According to Dr. Venn-Watson, “the fundamental difference so far is that dolphins are able to turn on and off the mechanism of insulin resistance, and humans do not”.
“But we hope that this discovery could lead to new ways to prevent, treat and perhaps even curing diabetes in humans” says the researcher.
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Tags: diabetes, Diabetes Therapy, diabetes treatment, insulin, insulin therapy, therapy, treatment