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Only three prescription drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for long term weight loss, and reportedly have a list of significant side effects, so drug companies are trying unconventional research methods in drug development including studying grizzly bears.
Only three prescription drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for long term weight loss, and reportedly have a list of significant side effects, so drug companies are trying unconventional research methods in drug development including studying grizzly bears.
Before they hunker down for winter which can last up to seven months, grizzly bears pack on extra weight so that they can fast during the cold weather.
While they are hibernating and fasting, grizzly bears temporarily stop their kidney function, but they are able to restart it in the spring when they wake up.
It’s this ability that interest’s researchers at drug company Amgen Inc., and might lead to a breakthrough in obesity treatment for humans.
Halting their renal function allows the grizzly bears to naturally induce diabetes, however they are able to reverse the process later.
One of the side effects of diabetes is often obesity, but the bears can regulate their bodies’ sensitivity to insulin.
When they are gaining weight they become more sensitive to the effects of insulin, and when they are hibernating they become insensitive to it so they can consume the stored calories safely.