Reversible insulin resistance helps Bactrian camels survive fasting

Fucheng Guo1, Rendalai Si1,2, Quanyun Li1

  • 1Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.

Scientific Reports
|September 23, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Camel fasting involves changes in insulin pathway genes and increased insulin resistance, despite normal insulin levels. These metabolic shifts help camels adapt to desert environments and return to normal after refeeding.