A molecular biologist at the University of Texas Houston Medical School has had an extremely interesting idea. He has proposed the theory that the hibernation model (whereby animal metabolism changes from glucose burning to fat burning over a period of hibernation) could be affective as a dietary mechanism amongst humans.
When animals hibernate, usually through the winter months, a number of physiological changes take place. For instance, the body temperature falls, as does the heart and breathing rate. Finally, and most interestingly, the metabolism changes from glucose burning to fat burning. Animals then survive on their fat reserves.
Cheng Chi Lee has discovered that the chemical 5-AMP can induce a similar state of hibernation like torpor in mice. He theorises that a similar injection to a human could induce a hibernation state, along with the metabolic changes.
The curious idea of a hibernation diet
Thu, 06 Sep 2007
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