Diabetes

Are bees subject to a form of api-diabetes, and if so are there any lessons we humans may learn from this?

The honeybee is particularly vulnerable to stress.

Stress in humans, via chronic overproduction of cortisol, particularly during the night fast, is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

Is it possible to speculate that bees are also at risk of a form of diabetes?

Yes, there are several reasons why a form of api-diabetes could be a serious risk factor for bees.

Bees rely exclusively on sugars for food and energy production, and during flight dynamics the quantity of sugars processed through the bee blood system (the haemolymph) rises dramatically.

This in itself would suggest potential for some kind of api-diabetes.

These sugars consist of fructose, trehalose (a double glucose molecule) and of course, glucose.

Bees are known to elaborate both insulin and glucagon, the two hormones controlling blood glucose in humans, and therefore haemolymph glucose in bees.

A number of plant pesticides, which are toxic to bees at a subclinical level, are known to disrupt carbohydrate metabolism and cause both hyperglucosemia and hypertrehalosemia (raised haemolytic glucose and trehalose).

Furthermore as trehalose rises the enzyme trehalase is activated, the trehalose split into 2 glucose units and the hyperglucosemia further enhanced.

This dramatic rise in hamolymph glucose level, resulting from compromised carbohydrate transport from the haemolymph into cells (muscle) and intracellularly in terms of glucose diposal, resembles classic insulin resistance type 2 human diabetes.

Do bees have any advanced systems which offer protection against this dangerous condition and iff so are there any lessons we may learn from this?

 Honey provides bees with food and fuel.

Honey, as we know contains a 1:1 ratio of glucose to fructose.

We know how in humans this metablosm is regulated by fructose, fructokinase and fructose translocation of glucokinase.

So far as is known no studies have identified fructokinase and glucokinase in bee fat body tissue.

However in so far as bees elaborate the glucose regulating hormones, insulin and glucagon, this cannot be ruled out.

Therefore the glucose regulation by fructose, which has not been studied in bees, although extensively studied in humans, may well operate in honeybees in flight, a period when the haemolymph glucose levels may rise to dangerous levels.

1.  We cannot be certain that fructose regulates glucose metabolism in bees, as it does in humans, but the Fructose Paradox is well demonstrated in humans as potently anti-hyperglycaemic and therefore anti-diabetic.

2  Vitamins associated with protection against hyperglycaemia and diabetes and found in honey, are vitamin B1, vitamin B3, vitamin E, and vitamin C. 

3.  Minerals potently associated with protection against hyperglycaemia and diabetes are potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, copper and zinc, all provided in honey.  Indeed hypokalaemia (low potassium) is a major risk for diabetes in humans.

4   A number of amino acids,  found in honey, also enhance insulin metabolism, including leucine, glutamine, cysteine and methionine.

The very interesting point about these amino acids is that they enhance glucose metabolism and disposal by different signalling pathways, compared to insulin, and therefore in the event of insulin compromise they will continue to enhance glucose disposal.

5.  Finally, many of the FloralFlavones have been shown to be potently antihyperglycaemia and anti-diabetic, by activation of insulin signalling pathways and by activating kinase/phosphatase enzymes which enhance glucose disposal (glycogen) and oxidative metabolism in the mitochondria.

Thus by these five different and complementary mechanisms, along with the necessary energy to replenish the liver over the night fast, fuel the brain and activate recovery physiology, every spoonful of honey provides us with a gorgeous suite of anti-hyperglycaemic and anti-diabetic principles.

As yet we do not know just how closely does our metabolism resemble that of bees, or if fructose regulates bee glucose metabolism, as it does in humans,  but we should be thankful to the bees, that nature has provided us with this wonderful package, truly a Fructose Honey Antidiabetic Enigma with Variations.

(c) Ron Fessenden and Mike McInnes Apr 17th 07.