Cures for obesity and heart disease could come from grizzly bears

Safely binge eating then losing weight isn’t just easy for grizzly bears — it’s a way of life, something researchers want to better understand, and perhaps even replicate in humans one day. Pharmaceuticals company Amgen is currently tracking the ins and outs (but really more the in part) of what happens to these bears as they get ready to hibernate, as well as during their day-to-day munching. The hope, reports The Wall Street Journal, is that the research could be turned into something to combat obesity, heart disease, and other ailments in humans. Early findings suggest the secret revolves around insulin, something bears can adjust their sensitivity to based on their activity. That may be difficult to emulate in humans, but could eventually result in drugs that cure obesity while also fulfilling an ideal set by the Romans centuries ago: eating massive amounts of food without our hearts exploding.