Red blood cells soak up sugar at high altitude, protecting against diabetes

Scientists have long known that people living at high altitudes, where oxygen levels are low, have lower rates of diabetes than people living closer to sea level. But the mechanism of this protection has remained a mystery. Now, researchers at Gladstone Institutes have explained the roots of the phenomenon, discovering that red blood cells act as glucose sponges in low-oxygen conditions like those found on the world's highest mountaintops.

In a study in the journal Cell Metabolism, the team has shown how red blood cells can shift their metabolism to soak up sugar from the bloodstream. At high altitude, this adaptation fuels the cells' ability to more efficiently deliver oxygen to tissues throughout the body, but it also has the beneficial side effect of lowering blood sugar levels.

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https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(26)00018-5