As we all know Insulinomae produce insulin steadily at too high levels. Knowing that there can be natural rhythms (which may be different in those whose ancestors were burrow dwelling crepuscular animals like ferrets from diurnal ones like humans) might in the long run be handy for making sure that ferrets eat at certain times and so forth since the fluctuating healthy cells might add more to the burden on and off. <http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/348560/description/Insulin_levels_wax_and_wane_daily> QUOTE Many body systems follow a daily clock known as a circadian rhythm. Body temperature, blood pressure and the release of many hormones are on circadian timers. But until now, no one had shown that insulin -- a hormone that helps control how the body uses sugars for energy -- also has a daily cycle. Working with mice, researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville have found that rodents are more sensitive to insulin's effects at certain times of day. Disrupting the animals' circadian timers interferes with the hormone's daily rise and fall... END QUOTE The existing concept has been that it might be best for the body to maintain insulin at a relatively constant level, BUT the environment cycles through light and dark and body processes often coordinate on that score, which may vary with whether the animals are diural like us, noctural, or crepuscular (dawn and dusk major activity for wild relatives like ferrets). Johnson and team used "insulin clamp" procedure on mice which infuses glucose or insulin around the clock into mice that are moving freely in their cages. Then they measured how much insulin or glucose (sugar) was needed to keep a steady blood sugar level. That way they knew how responsive the animals were to the hormone at different times. Mice are naturally less sensitive to insulin during the day, when the nocturnal animals normally sleep, the team found. This makes sense. Better control is needed when most active since demand changes a lot then. It also means that if this happens also in ferrets then it may be possible to know when they are most sensitive to insulin and perhaps most likely to crash from insulinoma. Maybe the meds need to cycle. Perhaps it means that departing from a normal cycle of light and dark might impose pressures upon the pancreas or perhaps may create an unnatural need for more insulin, too (That is purposely couched in maybes.): QUOTE ...mice whose circadian clocks have been disrupted by living in constant light. Both groups of animals are more resistant to insulin than normal mice are... END QUOTE This also may play into obesity and perhaps also into dietary choices for fat content (because we are used to thinking of meat in relation to high fat but WILD meat sources most of the year are much less fatty than market meats and poultry so maybe diets could be too high in fat for ferrets on this regard, too): BEGIN QUOTE Mice with broken clocks also became obese despite eating the same amount... feeding normal mice a high-fat diet could throw off their circadian rhythms. END QUOTE After dark you may want to have only amber or red lights for ferrets when possible IF lights have to be on at all. Does insulin resistance play any part in the development of insulinoma as it can in diabetes for those species that are more prone to that problem? It's a big question. When wild polecats and wild BFFs were watched by infrared camera and had access to food around the clock what were the preferred eating times? How does this change with pregnancy and with kits? That data may be hidden already in some films done for other reasons. Research study article summary: http://www.cell.com/current-biology/retrieve/pii/S0960982213000833 Sukie (not a vet) Ferrets make the world a game. Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.miamiferret.org/ http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html all ferret topics: http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html "All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow." (2010, Steve Crandall) A nation is as free as the least within it. [Posted in FML 7713]