The study examined the changes that these animals, which have the highest blood sugar levels in nature, develop in the body
If it were in another mammal blood sugar levels equal to that of the gods bats, he would die or at least he would go in right away coma. The mystery of nature related to the evolutionary changes in the body of these animals, for which a study published in the journal “Nature Ecology and Evolution” of the American Stowers Institute for Medical Research managed to identify some animals. possible explanations.
A result that could be important Diabetes, the starting point for finding new answers to a disease that continues to grow worldwide. In Italyfor example, there is about 4 millionAccording to the last report to the Assembly, those affected type 2 diabetes (caused by the progressive loss of insulin secretion by the pancreas, which accounts for 90% of cases), plus another 1.5 million who have yet to be diagnosed.
The response of bats to changes in diet
This is the blood sugar level of bats in the wild the highest. As study co-authors Jasmin Camacho and Andrea Bernal-Rivera explain, compared to 30 million years ago when they ate only insects diet slowly develops and understands as much as fruit and nectar, flesh and blood. As a result, these mammals, faced with an increase in blood sugar, were able to thrive strategies for survival and flourish.
In cases that have been going on for years Jungles of Central and South America and the Caribbean, The team of researchers measured the concentration of blood sugar About 200 bats from 29 species caught in the wild, tested them glucose tolerance and observation specialtyin different ways, depending on different diets the process of assimilation, absorption, storage and utilization sugar from their bodies.
Blood sugar: the secret of bats
In particular, different adaptationsglucose homeostasisthat is, the mechanism that allows blood levels to be maintained in a range that does not cause consequences, usually regulated by insulin. That is, for example changes in intestinal anatomyas well genetic changes in the proteins that carry sugar from the blood into the cells.
“Fruit bats,” Camacho explains, “have evolved insulin signaling pathways to lower blood sugar, and nectar bats can tolerate high blood sugar levels. a different insulin-independent mechanism“. They were found in bats on high sugar diets longer sections of intestine, intestinal cells with larger surface areas to absorb nutrients from food, and also sustained expression of a gene responsible for transporting sugar.
Prospects for man
Among the goals is nowin-depth study of alternative metabolic strategies Glucose regulation by some bats to understand exactly how their bodies manage sugar. Hopefully we can then a deeper understanding of the process of glucose homeostasis in other mammals, including humans; to deepen our knowledge of human diseases such as diabetes and thus open up new strategies for the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases.
According to the latest report to parliament on diabetes, based on Stat data for 2021, The prevalence of diabetes in Italy is 6.3% (6.6% among men and 6.1% among women).with an increasing trend in recent years. The number is rising 21% among those over 65and at the territorial level, the range varies dto 5.4% of the North-East region, to 7.9% of the Sud. in the year WHO European Regionagain in 2021 about 62 million people those living with diabetes that year More than 1.1 million deaths.