What is the relation between increase in age and hibernation of animals, know interesting facts from research
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(Peter Steinwinkel, Karolinska Institutet)
Solna (Sweden), When the cold and dark winter is setting in, some of us envy the animals that can hibernate. This long, deep rest is an example of how nature develops clever solutions to difficult problems. In this case, how to survive a long, cold and dark period without much food and water. But hibernation has a closer connection to human history than you might expect. An article in the British Medical Journal from the year 1900 describes a strange human hibernation called “lotska” that was common among peasants in Pskov, Russia. In this region, food was so scarce during the winter that sleeping during the dark part of the year solved the problem. Once a day, people would wake up to eat a piece of bread and drink a glass of water. After a simple meal, they would then go to sleep and the fire would be lit by family members in turns. You will also find descriptions of prolonged hibernation-like sleep during the long dark winter months in Inuit Greenlandic stories. In some parts of Greenland there is darkness from November to the end of January.
A 2020 study suggests that humans’ ancient ancestors, called hominins, may have been able to hibernate as early as 400,000 years ago. Bones discovered in a cave in Spain show seasonal interruptions in evolution, suggesting That one of man’s predecessors may have used strategies similar to cave bears to survive long winters.
animals and hibernation
Hibernation is deeper and more complex than normal sleep, including dramatic changes in metabolism. This long rest period compounds a number of conditions associated with longevity, low calorie intake, low body temperature, and low metabolism.
Animals that hibernate generally live longer than other species of similar size. Recent studies using epigenetic clocks, which map activity within genes over time, suggest Research has shown that hibernation slows aging in marmots and bats. So hibernation may provide important clues on how to slow down the aging processes.
forty Winks
There’s a lot we still don’t understand about hibernation, but we do know that normal sleep is also related to longevity. For example, a March 2023 study showed that with good quality sleep, you men You can add five years to your life and if you are a woman, you can add two and a half years. Researchers define good quality sleep as getting seven to eight hours of sleep per day, not requiring sleep medication, and waking up feeling rested at least five days a week.
Animals vary greatly in sleep patterns, from bears and marmots, which hibernate for eight months of the year, to elephants, which get only two hours a day. How do elephants live so long, despite getting so little sleep? , this is still a mystery to scientists. Figuring out how nature solved these extremes could help scientists understand new ways to improve human health.
There are different forms of aging – chronological and biological aging.
Chronological age is really just about how many revolutions the Earth has made around the Sun since we were born. It’s not time itself that makes us old, but the wear and tear of our bodies. Biological age measures wear and tear. It is a more comprehensive and personal measure of health than chronological age and is a better predictor of longevity. A 2023 study established that biological age varies and that temporary increases, for example during surgery and stress, are reversed as you recover.
Diseases that are lifestyle-related and increase with age, such as heart disease, obesity, dementia and chronic kidney disease, are induced by obesity. This results in inflammation, changes in the composition of the gut microbiota and increased oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when your body has too many free radicals (unstable atoms that damage cells).
New science based on epigenetic clocks and lessons learned from hibernating animals may help us treat patients who suffer from diseases caused by “wear and tear” on the body. We can use drugs that can slow down aging,
For example, metformin is the main drug to treat type-2 diabetes. It controls inflammation, insulin-sensitivity and slows DNA damage caused by oxidative-stress, there is growing evidence that it may help manage other “wear and tear” diseases such as heart disease, and long-term use of the drug may be associated with less cognitive impairment,
Learning more about hibernation may benefit human medicine in providing better protection against traumatic brain injuries, severe blood loss, preservation of muscle and bone mass, and during organ transplantation.
A 2018 study found that storing kidney grafts from deceased donors to mimic hibernation conditions appeared to improve their preservation. Skeletal degeneration is often determined by genes, but these genes were inactivated in hibernating bears.
animals and longevity
There are long-lived, non-hibernating animals that we can learn from such as the Greenland shark, the Icelandic clam and the roughy rockfish. These species have evolved better mechanisms that protect them from aging. It appears that protection against inflammation, oxidative stress, and protein modifications that occur with age is a mechanism that benefits all long-lived animals in general. Genetic studies show that a food group called flavonoids is related to longevity. Citrus fruits, berries, onions, apples and parsley are high in flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory properties and, for example, Protects organs from damage caused by chemicals or aging.
A 2023 study of the ruffian rockfish found that one of its set of genes that may be associated with longevity was linked to flavonoid metabolism. So a long-lived fish may have something to teach us about what to eat to live a long time.
Lessons from nature and hibernating animals tell us that protection of cells, regulation of metabolism and genetic adaptations play important roles in longevity. Our lifestyle and eating habits are our best tools for mimicking some of these mechanisms
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