Scientists Discover Reason High Altitude Protects Against Diabetes

Red blood cells act as "glucose sinks" in low oxygen environments, lowering blood sugar levels.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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A new study has found that when oxygen levels drop at high altitudes, red blood cells switch to a new metabolic mode and absorb large amounts of glucose from the bloodstream. This helps the body cope with thin air while also reducing blood sugar levels. Researchers say this discovery could lead to new treatments for diabetes, as a drug that mimics this effect reversed the condition in mice.

Why it matters

For years, researchers have observed that people living at high elevations tend to develop diabetes less often than those at sea level, but the biological explanation was unclear. This study resolves that longstanding question in physiology and opens up new possibilities for controlling blood sugar through targeting red blood cell metabolism.

The details

The study, published in Cell Metabolism, shows that in low oxygen environments, red blood cells begin absorbing large amounts of glucose from the bloodstream, acting like "sugar sponges." This metabolic shift allows the cells to deliver oxygen to tissues more efficiently at high altitude, while also lowering circulating blood sugar levels. Experiments in mice confirmed this finding, with the animals producing more red blood cells that absorbed more glucose under low oxygen conditions.

  • The study was published on February 23, 2026.

The players

Isha Jain

A Gladstone Investigator, core investigator at Arc Institute, and professor of biochemistry at UC San Francisco, who led the study.

Yolanda Marti-Mateos

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

Angelo D'Alessandro

A researcher from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus who partnered with Jain's group on the study.

Allan Doctor

A researcher from the University of Maryland who has long studied red blood cell biology and also partnered with Jain's group.

HypoxyStat

A drug recently developed in Jain's lab that mimics low oxygen exposure and was found to completely reverse high blood sugar in mouse models of diabetes.

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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, core investigator at Arc Institute, and professor of biochemistry at UC San Francisco

“What surprised me most was the magnitude of the effect. Red blood cells are usually thought of as passive oxygen carriers. Yet, we found that they can account for a substantial fraction of whole-body glucose consumption, especially under hypoxia.”

— Angelo D'Alessandro, Researcher, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

What’s next

The researchers plan to further explore the potential of HypoxyStat, the drug that mimics low oxygen exposure, as a new treatment strategy for diabetes and other conditions affected by changes in red blood cell metabolism and oxygen availability.

The takeaway

This study's discovery that red blood cells act as "glucose sinks" in low oxygen environments, lowering blood sugar levels, could lead to innovative new approaches for managing diabetes and other metabolic disorders by targeting red blood cell metabolism.