Two markers of biological ageing have successfully been affected by a form of oxygen therapy, suggesting that the process can be reversed.
The treatment — known as hyperbaric chamber oxygen therapy — was trialled on 35 healthy adults aged 64 and over, who were placed in a hyperbaric chamber for 90 minutes, five days a week, over three months while breathing 100 per cent oxygen through a mask. None of the individuals involved changed any lifestyle or diet factors.
Post-treatment, telomeres (the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes which shorten over time and cause DNA to become damaged) were able to grow back to the length they were 25 years ago. Senescent cells (which build up in the body and prevent regeneration) were also shown to have been reduced by 37%, allowing new cells to regrow in their place.
Shai Efrati, an associate professor in the Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University, and co-author of the paper said of the treatment:
“The significant improvement of telomere length shown during and after these unique HBOT protocols provides the scientific community with a new foundation of understanding that ageing can, indeed, be targeted and reversed at the basic cellular-biological level.”
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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has previously been used within the medical community to speed up ailments which require the patients’ bodies to have a more accelerated healing process.
SMC has expanded its treatment options with the addition of a Hyperbaric Chamber and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO). The specialized therapy uses 100% pure oxygen with increased atmospheric pressure to stimulate the body’s natural healing process. More: https://t.co/44Rhwj0bri pic.twitter.com/rmpSO7S8ai
— Salem Medical Center (@SalemMedCenter) November 16, 2020
