“Relating to HIT [Hibernation Induction Trigger] again, research on bears and other hibernators may change the course of two other maladies, cancer and viral infections such as the common cold. Time and again, hibernators injected with pathological viruses have not become ill. And deadly tumour cells inoculated into hibernators have consistently failed to grow. Perhaps if hibernation could be induced in humans, these ailments might reverse their course, or at least be more susceptible to drug therapy. Inducing hibernation in humans is not as farfetched as it sounds. Consider this final bit of research conducted by Dr. Peter Oeltgen, a pathologist at the University of Kentucky. Oeltgen and his colleagues injected HIT into a monkey, an animal that has never been known to hibernate. To the amazement of the researchers, the monkey fell asleep for six hours, its heart rate and body temperature dropped, and its appetite was depressed for over a week. This suggests that all mammals, possibly including humans, may be responsive to HIT.”

“Hibernating bears have a unique ability to stop their bones from degenerating during long periods of inactivity, a finding that is stimulating the search for new treatments for osteoporosis.”

“Cholesterol levels in dormant bears have been shown to be up to twice as high as in the summer and twice as high as those in humans. However, despite these incredibly high cholesterol levels, bears do not suffer from hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis) or gallstones. Researchers have not concluded what allows for this tolerance in bears, but many studies point to an unknown substance secreted by the liver, which dissolves gallstones and inhibits cholesterol buildup in the arteries. In addition, bear liver secretion has proven effective in dissolving gallstones in humans (Lyman et al, 1982).”