Why there is less diabetes in mountain areas |Star

High altitudes affect our blood cells, which in turn affects how sugar is absorbed in the body.

In a discovery that explains why people living at high altitudes are much less likely to develop diabetes than people at lower altitudes or at sea level, a team of scientists from the US has discovered that red blood cells act as "glucose sponges" in low-oxygen conditions.

Most altitudinal populations show consistently improved glucose tolerance.

But health experts have previously been unable to solve the age-old mystery of why diabetes is less common in people who live at high altitudes.

The findings of the Gladstone Institute, published in February (2026) in the scientific journal Cell Metabolism, indicate an adaptation of red blood cells to high altitude, which sees them "deliver oxygen more efficiently to tissues" with the "beneficial side effect" of lowering blood sugar.

"Red blood cells represent a hidden part of glucose metabolism that has so far been underappreciated," said Dr. Isha Jain, a Gladstone Fellow and assistant professor of biochemistry at the University of California, San Francisco.

According to the agency, the mechanism of this protection remains a mystery.

The team's scientists had previously observed that mice exposed to low-oxygen air had "significantly" reduced blood sugar levels, but until now they could not determine what was behind the drop.

"Our findings open new avenues of treatment," the team concluded in their paper.

"There is a lot to learn about how the whole organism adapts to changes in oxygen and how we can use these mechanisms to treat different conditions," said Associate Prof Jain.

So should diabetics move to the Himalayas?

Altitude is not the only way to seek potential benefits from hypoxia or lack of oxygen.

Previous studies have shown that vigorous exercise is also effective in controlling blood sugar for people with type 2 diabetes.- EPA