Key points from article :
Scientists compared heart tissue from naked mole-rats to other mole-rat species and other mammals.
Naked mole-rats found to have a unique way of generating energy from sugars, allowing them to survive in low-oxygen environments.
This distinct cardiometabolic profile protects their hearts from damage caused by cardiovascular events.
Naked mole-rats' unique environment likely caused the evolution of special adaptations in their hearts.
These adaptations allow naked mole-rats to tolerate reduced oxygen and negligible damage to their heart tissue.
"We are now able to understand the metabolic and genetic mechanisms underpinning this unique level of protection.” - Dunja Aksentijevic, lead study author.
Study by Queen Mary University of London, published in Nature Communications.
