There is something strange in the blood of black bears that allows them to remain fit and healthy during the winter.
A new study has helped scientists get to the bottom of what is happening.
The lack of physical activity would cause our muscles to waste away if we tried to lie down. When a bear emerges from its den at the beginning of spring, it stretches out a strong body.
Despite little to no movement, the creature's muscles and strength are largely unchanged from the year before.
A new study suggests that the solutes in bear blood are the key to this power. They might be able to prevent human muscle from getting old.
When researchers in Japan took a blood sample from seven bears and added it to tissue cultures made of human muscle cells, they noticed a boost to the cells' proteins content within a day.
There was a decrease in the production of a regulatoryProtein that plays a critical role in the shed of unused muscles.
When blood was added, these changes were visible. When blood was taken from black bears in the summer, it didn't stop the process of degradation in human muscles.
"We have shown that some factor present in bear serum may regulate the function of human skeletal muscle cells and contribute to the maintenance of muscle mass," says Mitsunori Miyazaki.
The identification of this factor has not yet been achieved.
In the past, similar studies have been done with black bear, but no one has been able to figure out the exact factor that drives the power. There was a reduction in the amount oftrypsinogen in human muscles.
Rats have shown a similar effect on their muscles.
For now, that's all we have, but Miyazaki is still looking for answers.
He says that by clarifying the unexplored mechanism behind'muscles that do not weaken even without use' in hibernating animals, it is possible to develop effective rehabilitation strategies in humans.
The study was published in a peer reviewed journal.
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