High Altitude Protects Against Diabetes: Scientists Uncover Red Blood Cell Secret

• Scientists discovered why high altitude living protects against diabetes: red blood cells absorb large amounts of glucose in low oxygen.
• This metabolic shift in red blood cells helps the body cope with thin air and reduces blood sugar levels.
• A drug, HypoxyStat, mimicking low oxygen effects, reversed diabetes in mice, suggesting a new treatment strategy.
• Red blood cells, traditionally seen as oxygen carriers, act as a "glucose sink" under hypoxic conditions, consuming significant glucose.
• The findings could lead to new diabetes treatments and have implications for exercise physiology and traumatic injury.