Bacteria Help Bears Hibernate

Seasonal changes in the gut microbes of brown bears help them cope with the demands of hibernation, researchers have claimed.

16:33 08 February 2016

In a research published in the journal Cell Reports, scientists found that certain type of bacteria helps bears hibernate.

 

Senior author Fredrik Bäckhed, from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, explained the role of different bugs in the energy metabolism of a hibernating animal.

 

"We know is that the microbiota is very responsive to what we eat,"

 

"So if a bear eats a lot in the summer and it doesn't eat in the winter, then there should be an altered microbiota. What we learn from our study is that it appears that the altered microbiome can contribute to the altered adiposity (fattiness)."

 

However, Dr Bäckhed clarified that their study does not provide answers or solutions to human obesity.

He said: "I don't think that this study will have direct implications for obesity, as the summer microbiota will make you fat and the winter insulin resistant.

"But perhaps we can find clues for treating malnutrition from the summer bacteria, and help patients with anorexic disorders - including cancer patients."

 

The researchers also tested the effect of the bugs in “germ-free” mice.

 

"These are mice that are born and raised in a bubble, where they have never been exposed to any bacteria," Prof Bäckhed explained.

 

"What we found was that if we colonised the mice with the summer bear microbiota, the mice gained more adiposity compared to if the mouse was colonised with faeces from the same bear in the winter."