What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated the effects of hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning (HBOP) on human stress responses in eight male subjects acutely exposed to simulated high altitude.
What They Found
Subjects acutely exposed to high altitude showed significantly higher levels of dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and ACTH at rest and after physical load compared to sea-level controls (all P<0.05). Interestingly, the 5-day HBOP intervention group had significantly higher levels of these stress hormones at rest after high-altitude exposure than the simulated high-altitude group (all P<0.01).
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
The study was limited by a very small sample size of eight male subjects and simulated high-altitude conditions.