10 Mar , 18:00
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Living at high altitude may reduce the risk of developing diabetes — a conclusion previously reached by epidemiological studies. New research by American scientists has helped partially explain this phenomenon. As it turned out, red blood cells may play an important role in this process, as under conditions of oxygen deficiency they begin to actively absorb glucose from the blood. The results of the study have been published in the scientific journal Cell Metabolism.
As reported by TUT.AZ with reference to Gazeta.ru, scientists discovered a striking pattern: the higher above sea level a person lives, the less oxygen enters their lungs. The body does not remain indifferent — it triggers an entire cascade of physiological adjustments in response to hypoxia. And one of these reactions turned out to be truly unexpected: red blood cells take on an entirely new function.
The experiments were conducted on laboratory mice with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The animals were placed in chambers with rarefied air, recreating a high-altitude atmosphere. After some time, the results astonished the researchers — blood sugar levels in the test subjects began to steadily decline.
However, initially the scientists hit a dead end: the glucose seemed to dissolve into thin air. Sugar injected into the mice rapidly disappeared from the bloodstream, yet was not detected in the muscles, liver, or brain — the body's main energy consumers. Even more surprising was the fact that the effect persisted for several weeks even after the animals were returned to normal oxygen levels.
The answer came later, when the specialists employed additional analysis and visualization methods. It turned out that the true "devourers" of glucose were the red blood cells. Under oxygen-deprived conditions, these cells tripled their sugar consumption, transforming into a kind of "sponge" that literally drew glucose out of the blood.
As the American researchers explained, the key to the mystery lies in the workings of hemoglobin — the protein responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body. A specific molecule alters the properties of hemoglobin, increasing the efficiency of oxygen delivery to tissues. In parallel, glucose absorption also rises sharply, leading to a drop in its concentration in the blood.
But the discoveries did not end there. During the study, scientists tested an experimental drug capable of mimicking the effect of being at high altitude — without the need to go to the mountains. In mice with both types of diabetes, the drug successfully lowered elevated sugar levels, effectively reversing the course of the disease.
For now, the results have been confirmed exclusively in animal models, and the application of this method in humans is still a long way off. Nevertheless, the specialists are convinced that the discovery has the potential to lay the foundation for creating a fundamentally new class of anti-diabetes drugs.
