Bottlenose dolphins experience higher blood glucose levels when fasting overnight, entering a state similar to diabetes. Scientists believe studying this "diabetic switch" in dolphins could help develop a cure for human diabetes. Dolphins have a different diet and metabolism that allows their brains to remain nourished even when fasting for long periods, as they produce high glucose levels without needing to absorb carbohydrates. Researchers hope to identify a similar regulatory mechanism in humans that could control blood glucose levels independent of insulin.

1. Dolphins May Help In Finding a Cure For Diabetes By Aliza Cohen, Raina Milling and Irena Mullen-Menard

2. Bottlenose Dolphins go into diabetic state while they fast overnight, causing them to have higher levels of glucose in their blood. Knowing this, scientists think dolphins may be helpful in finding a cure for Diabetes.

3. What usually works as a fast glucose fix for most animals is carbohydrates. However, dolphins have a different diet where they mostly eat a lot of protein and not as much glucose-rich carbs. This is considered a "diabetic switch" which can keep the dolphins brains "well-fed" even when they have not eaten for a while. Could this help us with humans?

4. The diabetic state dolphins go into could be controlled by the "switch" Someone with type 2 diabetes that is resistant to insulin has high levels of glucose. The insulin is what tells the body to absorb glucose from blood. Dolphins do not have this problem because they need a high level of glucose so their brains can function in between meals.

5. Some studies show that this "insulin resistance" that dolphins have can be bad It can make the dolphins have an out-of-control form of diabetes Scientists studied six dolphins to test their insulin levels after they eat They found that after dolphins fast over night, they have changes in their glucose level

6. What scientists believe now. Now Scientists believe that their may be a switch in humans, like dolphins Humans and dolphins are very different, but we both have big brains and large blood cells which carry glucose Scientists hope to find this switch in humans, because it could become a potential cure to diabetes

7. Acknowledgments http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/56441/title/Dolphins_may_offer_clues_to_treating_diabetes-our article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin-where we got the definition of insulin http://www.everyjoe.com/articles/files/2008/04/2-dolphins.jpg-where we got the picture of the dolphin