Researchers at Tel Aviv University and the Shamir Medical Center say they have reversed key signs of aging in older adults by subjecting them to hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HOTs).
In HOTs, a person is sealed in a tank and the air pressure inside the tank is raised to two or three times normal levels. As the person breathes under this abnormally high pressure, more oxygen is forced into the lungs. The extra oxygen helps the body fight infections, release biochemical growth factors, and foster the growth of stem cells.
HOTs have been used to treat conditions ranging from anemia to gangrene.
The Israeli scientists gathered 35 adults 65 or more years old and gave them 90-minute HOTs five days a week for three months.
At the end of the study, the test volunteers showed better attention, information processing speed, and executive functions, the researchers said.
Perhaps most important, volunteers’ bodies had cleared away a large proportion of old, damaged, and weakened cells and their telomeres had lengthened.
Telomeres are long-chain molecules attached to the ends of each human chromosome. As we age, telomeres shorten. Longer telomeres are thought to ensure healthier DNA replication, so finding a way to lengthen telomeres has been described as the “holy grail” of anti-aging research.
The Israeli research team said that these biomarkers of age in the test subjects had reverted to those of people about 25 years younger than the subjects were.
TRENDPOST: A hyperbaric oxygen treatment can cost $500 or more, so the study subjects received about $30,000 worth of care over three months – not something that most of us can afford. If additional research confirms these benefits, entrepreneurs will find ways to make the equipment and treatments more affordable.
Eventually, visiting a HOT center may become no more unusual than seeing a chiropractor.
