MOUNTAINS: A CURE TO YOUR

PERSISTENT MALADY???

Have you ever that the mountains could lower your risk
for certain long term ailments?

Studies have found that a Tibetian descended population,

the Mosuo, possess lower risk for hypertension and
diabetes associated anemia than low altitude Han
population.

“During the last decade, the knowledge regarding high

altitude adaptations in humans has increased
tremendously and this flood of knowledge led us to
question how chronic disease incidence is influenced by
these adaptations. Our research indicates that Himalayan
adaptations to high altitudes have additional effects
beyond helping people cope with low availability of
oxygen; they also tend to reduce the risk of hypertension
and anemia among diabetics” said a researcher from
Binghamton University.

The hypothesis that was formulated stated that these

adaptations could also affect the chronic disease
pathways for conditions like hypertension and diabetes.
Human populations that are adapted to Himalyan high
altitudes have higher blood flow due to dilatation of
blood vessels which may increase oxygen supply even in
poor blood oxygen concentrations and these dilatation
could be the reason for lowered risk of hypertension.

Besides this, these Himalayan populations have also lost

the mechanism that usually increases the output of red
blood cells in response to low blood oxygen which
protects them against high viscosity blood and this
probably could be the other mechanism reducing risk of
diabetes associated anemia.

The study comparing Mosuo and Han population

supported these hypotheses. Mosuo risk for hypertension
was much lower than Han population.

“While globalization continues to influence the

populations of the planet, the epidemiologic and
nutritional conditions of people are shifting. In most
instances it leads to an increased risk of diabetes and
hypertension” says one of the researchers from the
University of New Mexico. “some of this is happening in
Mosuo case- high incidence of diabetes but study showed
unique adaptations leading to different health states.”

The research suggests that as these chronic diseases are

becoming a major health concern, it is important to
investigate how risk is related to genetic adaptations in
local environment.

“As diseases like obesity are increasing day by day on a

global level, it becomes a prime concern to understand
how the human populations are interacting with the
physilogy of these problems” quoted one of the
researchers.

The collection of data for the above mentioned study

involved visits to household, questioning people about
their lifestyle and obtaining health information from
blood samples.