High-Altitude Living May Reduce Diabetes Risk, Study Finds

Red blood cells act as 'glucose sponges' in low-oxygen environments, researchers say.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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A new study from the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco suggests that living at high altitudes may lower the risk of diabetes. The research found that in low-oxygen environments, red blood cells begin absorbing large amounts of glucose from the bloodstream, acting as a 'sponge' for sugar. This shift in red blood cell metabolism also helps deliver oxygen more efficiently, lowering circulating blood sugar levels and potentially explaining the lower diabetes risk seen in mountain-dwelling populations.

Why it matters

This discovery could open up new ways to think about controlling blood sugar and treating diabetes. The findings build on previous research showing that people living at high altitudes have a significantly lower risk of developing diabetes compared to those at sea level, even after accounting for factors like diet and ethnicity.

The details

The study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, examined how red blood cells behave in low-oxygen environments. Researchers found that under hypoxic conditions, mice produced more red blood cells, and each cell absorbed significantly more glucose than they did in normal conditions. The team even developed a drug, HypoxyStat, that mimics this high-altitude effect and was able to completely reverse high blood sugar in diabetic mice.

  • The study was published on February 24, 2026.

The players

Isha Jain

A Gladstone investigator and professor of biochemistry at UC San Francisco, who was the senior author of the study.

Yolanda Martí-Mateos

A postdoctoral scholar in Jain's lab and the first author of the study.

Gladstone Institutes

A non-profit research organization in San Francisco that conducted the study.

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What they’re saying

“Red blood cells represent a hidden compartment of glucose metabolism that has not been appreciated until now. This discovery could open up entirely new ways to think about controlling blood sugar.”

— Isha Jain, Gladstone investigator and professor of biochemistry at UC San Francisco (Press release)

“We looked at muscle, brain, liver — all the usual suspects — but nothing in these organs could explain what was happening.”

— Yolanda Martí-Mateos, Postdoctoral scholar in Jain's lab (Press release)

What’s next

The researchers acknowledged that more research is needed to confirm the findings, including testing the effects in other mouse strains and studying the impacts in female and older populations.

The takeaway

This study provides a potential new avenue for understanding and treating diabetes, by leveraging the body's natural adaptations to low-oxygen environments. If the findings hold true in humans, it could lead to the development of new therapies that mimic the glucose-absorbing effects of red blood cells seen at high altitudes.