"On/off Diabetes" Switch in Dolphins Could be Important Model for Humans

Dolphins have the unique ability to turn off and switch on diabetes, scientists have revealed.

The breakthrough finding could lead to a treatment and cure for diabetes in humans, say boffins.he mammal can induce the condition when there is little food around and turn it off when food is abundant, researchers found in the study.

Diabetes Essentials: Types, Complications, Management & Treatment
Diabetes is a metabolic disease caused by insulin deficiency that leads to high blood sugar levels and several associated complications if left untreated.

According to researchers, this is a unique ability in the animal kingdom and results from the mammal's need to maintain high blood sugar levels to feed its big brain.

But they also believe it is an ability that humans have lost through evolution and that studying dolphins could lead to techniques to re-activate it, reports The Telegraph.

"Diabetes now accounts for five per cent of human deaths globally," said Dr Stephanie Venn-Watson, a veterinary epidemiologist and director of Clinical Research at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego.

Diabetes and Exercise
Regular exercise especially in type II diabetes not only helps reduce the sugar but also reduces the demand for medication by 20% and helps you stay healthy.

"It is our hope that this discovery can lead to novel ways to prevent, treat and maybe even cure diabetes in humans."

Dr Venn-Watson revealed the findings at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Diabetic Diet - Diabetes Mellitus
The diabetic diet most often recommended is high in dietary fiber (especially soluble fiber) and nutrients, but low in fat (especially saturated fat) and moderate in calories.

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Gestational Diabetes About
The condition is not caused by a lack of insulin, but by the action of hormones produced during pregnancy that blocks the action of insulin.