High Altitude and Diabetes Risk (in mice)
In findings published in Cell Metabolism, the team demonstrated that red blood cells can alter their metabolism when oxygen levels drop. This shift allows the cells to deliver oxygen to tissues more efficiently at high altitude. At the same time, it lowers circulating blood sugar, offering a potential explanation for reduced diabetes risk. Gladstone Institutes. “Scientists discover why high altitude protects against diabetes.” ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260221060952.htm (accessed February 21, 2026).
Journal Reference:
- Yolanda Martí-Mateos, Zohreh Safari, Shaun Bevers, Ayush D. Midha, Will R. Flanigan, Tej Joshi, Helen Huynh, Brandon R. Desousa, Skyler Y. Blume, Alan H. Baik, Stephen Rogers, Aaron V. Issaian, Allan Doctor, Angelo D’Alessandro, Isha H. Jain. Red blood cells serve as a primary glucose sink to improve glucose tolerance at altitude. Cell Metabolism, 2026; DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2026.01.019
Scary Charts 02.02.26
The jobs market is starting to show hard-to-ignore cracks – https://www.axios.com/2026/02/05/jolts-data-december-jobs-market
US employers cut more jobs last month than in any period since 2009. More than 100,000 workers were fired at Amazon, UPS, and Dow, and hiring was the slowest for any January on record, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The low-fire, low-hire dynamic that has kept the US labor market in an anxious balance appears to have tipped. US layoffs in January hit highest monthly record since 2009 – https://www.semafor.com/article/02/05/2026/us-layoffs-in-january-hit-highest-monthly-record-since-2009
Yikes.
The Edge
My takeaways:
The first takeaway is about the mindset. Winning requires staying in the present. When you lose nearly half the points you play, the past offers no help. Dwelling on past mistakes only distracts from the real goal, which is to win the match. We cannot change what has happened, and we cannot control what comes next. Stay present, follow the process, and let the result take care of itself…The idea of edge applies directly to our lives. Life is made up of thousands of decisions taken over decades. A small edge in how we make those decisions quietly stacks the odds in our favor.
Take health. Lifting weights a few times a week, walking a few miles a day, eating reasonably well, and sleeping enough each give us a small edge. We are not competing with anyone else here. We are competing against chronic diseases. These habits do not guarantee outcomes, but they help us avoid most of the problems that are within our control, and leave the rest to chance. None of these decisions matter much on their own. Taken together over years they matter a lot.
Nice article, wonderful insights. Now go read the entire article.
Medscape on Obesity – 02.08.26
Chronic Pain? Check This Out
Curiosity is not a curse. I’ve been expanding my knowledge base this morning.
As I have written before, the key to treating chronic pain often lies in therapies designed to dampen the brain’s response to pain signals. In treating my own chronic pain, I benefited greatly from a mindfulness therapist who helped me develop techniques to redirect thoughts and feelings of pain, push them out of my body. In my case, I met virtually with the therapist, who expertly sussed out my situation and tailored her advice to my needs. She worked at Duke University, in one of their pain clinics, and was an expert at helping people like me. This Online Program Could Be The Solution To Your Chronic Pain – https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterubel/2026/02/07/this-online-program-could-be-the-solution-to-your-chronic-pain/
Here’s the link to Telehealth and Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy–Based Treatments for High-Impact Chronic Pain A Randomized Clinical Trial – https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2836795 Conclusions and Relevance Remote, scalable CBT-CP treatments (delivered either via telehealth or self-completed modules online) resulted in modest improvements in pain and related functional/quality-of-life outcomes compared with usual care among individuals with high-impact chronic pain. These lower-resource CBT-CP treatments could improve availability of evidence-based nonpharmacologic pain treatments within health care systems.
Here’s the link to the online resource quoted in the Forbes article https://mypaintrainer.org/login-to-paintrainer/
Full disclosure:
I’ve had chronic pain since 1976 (or was it 1977?) when I had a near fatal encounter with a fast moving car while walking home. I don’t take any pain medications other than the occasional ibuprofen. I have been using an online pain management resource courtesy of my employer (not the resource linked above). A DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) and health coach are part of the resources at my disposal. I haven’t used any ibuprofen in quite some time, if that tells you anything.
I will be exploring https://mypaintrainer.org/login-to-paintrainer/ more but at the time of this writing have not looked into their services.
The Articles in This Blog are Being Stolen by AI
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Scary Charts 01.30.26
Weight-loss drugs draw thousands of lawsuits alleging serious harm – https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/01/28/glp-1-weight-loss-drug-lawsuits-side-effects/87611067007/
Yikes.
Mortality in the United States – 2024
Key findings
Data from the National Vital Statistics System
- Life expectancy for the U.S. population was 79.0 years in 2024, an increase of 0.6 year from 2023.
- The age-adjusted death rate decreased 3.8% from 750.5 deaths per 100,000 U.S. standard population in 2023 to 722.1 in 2024.
- Age-specific death rates decreased from 2023 to 2024 for all age groups 1 year and older except for the 5–14 age group.
- Suicide replaced COVID-19 as the 10th leading cause of death, and heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries remained the top 3 leading causes in 2024.
- The infant mortality rate did not change significantly from 2023 (560.2 infant deaths per 100,000 live births) to 2024 (552.5).
Mortality in the United States, 2024
lifeunderwriter.net 
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