Metabolic basis to Sherpa altitude adaptation

Abstract

Significance A relative fall in tissue oxygen levels (hypoxia) is a common feature of many human diseases, including heart failure, lung diseases, anemia, and many cancers, and can compromise normal cellular function. Hypoxia also occurs in healthy humans at high altitude due to low barometric pressures. Human populations resident at high altitude in the Himalayas have evolved mechanisms that allow them to survive and perform, including adaptations that preserve oxygen delivery to the tissues. Here, we studied one such population, the Sherpas, and found metabolic adaptations, underpinned by genetic differences, that allow their tissues to use oxygen more efficiently, thereby conserving muscle energy levels at high altitude, and possibly contributing to the superior performance of elite climbing Sherpas at extreme altitudes.