As per a new research, presented at a news briefing of the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on February 18, genetic clues from dolphins might pave the way for potential treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

According to the scientists at the US National Marine Mammal Foundation, bottlenose dolphins – like diabetics – are resistant to insulin; and maintain high blood glucose levels by going into a harmless diabetic state during overnight fasting.

Noting the ‘switch-on, switch-off’ insulin resistance of dolphins, scientists are of the opinion that dolphins – with their high protein and low glucose-rich carb diet - can be a good model for studying diabetes, and they might offer insights into treating the disease in human beings.

Elucidating that the high levels of circulating glucose may essentially stimulate the big-brained dolphins during their ‘fasting’ period between dinner and breakfast, veterinary epidemiologist Stephanie Venn-Watson of the San Diego’s National Marine Mammal Foundation, said that the supposed “diabetic switch” of the dolphins “helps keep the brain well-fed” even when they do not eat anything for a while.

Venn-Watson and her colleagues, who measured insulin levels from the blood samples of six ‘trained’ dolphins that “snack” continuously during the day and fast overnight, hope to join forces with diabetes researchers to explore the possibility of a dolphins-akin “off switch” for people suffering from diabetes.