The genetic mutations that allow Andean people to survive in thin mountain air also provide an accidental 'shield' against Type 2 Diabetes.
April 1, 2026
Original Paper
The Andean Metabolic Shield: AMPK-Mediated Protection Against Type 2 Diabetes in High-Altitude Andean Populations
SSRN · 6480561
The Takeaway
Usually, as populations urbanize and adopt modern diets, diabetes rates skyrocket. This research reveals that the same genes selected for survival at high altitudes (hypoxia adaptation) happen to protect the metabolism, explaining why these groups stay paradoxically healthy despite modern lifestyle changes.
From the abstract
Background: While most human populations show increasing Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) prevalence with modernization, Andean high-altitude populations exhibit paradoxically low diabetes rates despite urbanization. This pattern suggests genetic adaptations to hypoxia may provide pleiotropic protection against metabolic disease. Objective: To synthesize evidence for an "Andean Metabolic Shield" hypothesis proposing that PRKAA1 genetic variants, selected for reproductive success at altitude, confer resista