Sled dogs, like these ones that took part in the Yukon Quest in February, are arguably the greatest athletes in the animal world. (Sandi Coleman/CBC)

Northern sled dogs, like the ones that run the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest, could help solve diseases in humans, according to an American researcher who has been looking into the dogs’ athletic abilities.

Michael Davis, a professor of exercise physiology at the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences at Oklahoma State University, took blood samples from thousands of Alaskan sled dogs to find out how they can run thousands of kilometres in conditions as cold as -40 C.

“For their size, their strength is substantial. For them, or any other dog, their capacity for endurance is beyond anything that I’ve worked with,” he told CBC News in an interview.

“I mean, these dogs are very resilient, very confident dogs.”

Most Alaskan sled dogs are lean, weighing between 20 and 30 kilograms. When their genetics are combined with the right diet and training, Davis said sled dogs are arguably the greatest athletes in the animal world.

Davis said the sled dog’s ability to burn lots of fat and calories — up to 12,000 kilocalories per day when racing — may have implications for human health.

“If we can identify how they are better equipped at dealing with high amounts of fat in their diet, we may be able to find some metabolic strategies that can help humans with obesity and Type 2 diabetes,” he said.

As well, high-performance human athletes could benefit from research about the Alaskan sled dogs’ ability to adapt to “sustained strenuous exercise.” Davis said the dogs’ bodies can recover quickly from days of running.

Davis presented his findings at an American Physiological Society conference in late-September.