Black Bears are being studied for their ability to eat unlimited fat and yet avoid debilitating build-ups of cholesterol..............Washington State U. is studying how the poteins and chemical processes in the bears circulatory system to determine if human health benefits might be derived..........We have only scratched the surface of the iceberg as it relates to knowing how all of the lifeforms on earth can aid human existance..........A key "PRIME DIRECTIVE" of our Government should be to enhance and preserve biodiversity,,,,,,,,,,,for its own sake as well as benefits that we can derive from our fellow creatures

WSU Researchers Studying Bear Hibernation To Narrow Down A Cure For Diabetes

Anna King kuow.org

RICHLAND, Wash. – Hibernating bears do things that doctors tell humans not to do. They eat fatty foods, lay around for months on end and get high cholesterol. Yet they don't suffer the same ill effects we would.
Washington State University researchers have teamed up with a biotech company. They've begun a $200,000 study on how grizzly bears can gain so much fat each year and sleep through the winter. But each spring they emerge without diabetes or heart disease.

Researchers are monitoring eight bears' heart rates, blood pressure, blood chemistry and overall health."Our biggest surprises have been how high their cholesterols have been, how high their blood pressures are, and how they have insulin resistance or a pre-diabetic type of state." says Lynne Nelson, a veterinarian cardiologist with WSU.

Nelson says novel proteins or chemical processes in the bears' bodies might help human health.
Taking the bears' blood pressure isn't as challenging as you might think. The animals at the WSU Pullman campus bear center are trained, and others are sedated briefly.