The Bear Facts About Good Health

Ephesians 2:10
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Imagine lying around not just for days on end, but for months! And while lounging the months away, you get leaner and more muscular. The bear’s lifestyle sounds like a couch potato’s dream.

Such a lifestyle would cause our bones to become weak and smaller, and make the calcium level of our blood high enough to kill us. Apart from losing bone, we would also lose muscle and gain fat, lying around all day. We all know what happens to couch potatoes. But bears, they are different, and scientists have been puzzled to learn that bears don’t suffer bone loss and don’t lose muscle during their winter rests. They don’t really sleep all winter, but they do rest a lot. Moreover, they don’t eat, drink, or use the bathroom all winter – a routine that would kill most creatures in less than a week.

Researchers believe that they have found the chemical in a bear’s blood that prevents bone loss during long inactivity. The chemical is under study for possible use in treating human osteoporosis. Bears avoid bathroom visits by chemically changing their own waste back into proteins. The fact that scientists study how things in the creation work to improve how we do things is a tribute to the workmanship of the Creator, even if scientists refuse to admit His existence and activity.

Prayer:
Dear Father, give strength and wisdom to those who study how You have made the creation to improve how we do things, not only for our earthly benefit, but also that, seeing Your Hand, they would come to You through Jesus Christ. In His Name. Amen.

Notes:
Photo: Brown bear in Norway. Courtesy of Taral Jansen. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)