Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can improve heart functionality in healthy aging humans.This, according to a new study by the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir Medical Center in Beer Yaakov.In this new study, director of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir Medical Center Professor Shai Efrati and Dr. Marina Leitman, head of the Echocardiography Unit and Non-invasive Cardiology Service at Shamir Medical Center turned their attention to HBOTs impact on cardiac function.According to the center, the study of HBOT for cardiac function has been limited, mostly evaluating patients during and after short-term exposures. However, for the first time, the study was conducted in humans and it demonstrated that repetitive HBOT protocols have a sustained effect on heart function.Healthy patients receiving HBOT to improve cognitive function underwent a 60-session treatment course using the Sagol Centers regenerative HBOT protocols. Using a high-resolution echocardiography, patients were evaluated before HBOT was administered and three weeks after treatment concluded, to identify the sustained effect of the treatment. The study was conducted on 31 patients.Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Efrati explained that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) includes the inhalation of 100% oxygen at pressures exceeding one atmosphere absolute (ATA), which is the average atmospheric pressure exerted at sea level, in order to increase the amount of oxygen dissolved in the body tissues.Efrati, who has been pioneering new approaches for the application of HBOT treatments that specifically focus on HBOTs ability to trigger regeneration in the body, said that in the past HBOT has been applied worldwide mostly for chronic non-healing wounds. In recent years, there is growing evidence on the regenerative effects of HBOT, he said. We have now realized that the combined action of both hyperoxia (an excess of oxygen in the body) and hyperbaric pressure, leads to significant improvement in tissue oxygenation while targeting both oxygen and pressure sensitive genes, resulting in improved mitochondrial metabolism with anti-apoptotic (anti-cell death) and anti-inflammatory effects.According to Efrati, the newly developed protocols used in this study, which includes the intermittent increasing and decreasing of oxygen concentration, induces what is known as the Hyperoxic Hypoxic Paradox. This, he said induces stem cells proliferation and mobilization, leading to the generation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and tissue regeneration.Efrati said that during the first studies they conducted at the Sagol Center, they evaluated the beneficial effects of HBOT on brain injuries due to traumatic brain injury and stroke. However, in this study we evaluated for the first time the effect of these new regenerative HBOT protocols on the normal aging heart. For the first time in humans we have demonstrated that HBOT can improve cardiac function.Asked about what inspired the research, Efrati said that for over the last 12 years the team has developed an ongoing research program that investigates the regenerative effects of HBOT on different issues and degrees of damage. At the beginning we were focused on non-healing peripheral wounds, he said. Then, we turned our focus to certain types of brain injuries. However, once the researchers found that HBOT induced many of the essential elements crucial to repairing almost any mechanism, we initiated a complementary research program that targets other organs such as the heart and other elements related to expected age-related functional decline.Addressing the significance of this research, Efrati said that along with normal aging, there is typically a decrease in cardiac function particularly in the mitochondrial cells of the heart. The mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell [and] this is where we create energy, he pointed out. HBOTs ability to improve mitochondrial function may explain the beneficial effects that we saw in the cardiac function of this normal aging population. By exposing the mitochondria to the fluctuations in oxygen by the use of HBOT, the team observed an improvement in contractility function of the heart meaning, the heart muscle contracted more efficiency over the course of the 60-session protocol. Efrati highlighted that the effect was particularly evident in the left ventricle, which is the chamber responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the rest of the body. This is only the beginning of our understanding of the impact of HBOT on cardiac function in a normally aging population, and a larger and more diverse cohort will be required to further evaluate our initial findings, he said.Asked whether this treatment could also be used on people who are predisposed to heart conditions, Efrati said that the short answer is yes, but stressed that more research is needed.As far as we know, we are the first to identify HBOTs ability to improve cardiac function, he told the Post. Our study was on a group of 31 asymptomatic normal aging heart patients. We believe it is important to expand the scope of this study to a larger group, with both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients to understand the possibilities for HBOT as a treatment for patients with heart-related diseases, he emphasized.The Sagol Center has also been studying the impact of HBOT on a variety of cognitive conditions. We have also conducted studies which showed positive results for the treatment of post-concussion syndrome as a result of traumatic brain injury, post-stroke recovery, fibromyalgia, adding that today, medical professionals understand that fibromyalgia is linked to issues in the brain center responsible for pain interpretation. He made it clear that not every patient will benefit from HBOT, which is why patient selection should be done very carefully based on the damage seen in brain imaging assessments.For example, if someone has a stroke, some of the tissue at the core of the stroke will die we will not be able to recover this tissue, Efrati continued. But, other tissue that is damaged but not fully dead... is where HBOT can help. This damaged tissue, known as the metabolic dysfunction tissue (penumbra), is where we can have an impact and help recover lost function, he added.On the timeline as to when using HBOT protocols may be put into effect on healthy aging patients in Israel, Efrati said that these studies are already ongoing. I cant speak too much about this, as we are in the process of developing the results of the first study for publication, he said. However, we believe HBOT can positively impact both cognitive and physical performance in aging adults based on what we have seen at this point.Efrati said that they will continue pursuing this line of research as it has the ability to transform how we look at aging. Looking at 2020 and beyond, Efrati said that they have a number of research collaborations that are ongoing, including research on cognitive decline, fibromyalgia and PTSD. In addition, we have an ongoing research program on athletic performance both in professional and amateur level athletes, which looks at how HBOT may further improve performance, he said. Finally, we are studying the impact of HBOT on healthy aging adults to understand how HBOT may improve our health and cognitive performance as we age.Concluding, Efrati pointed out that when you look at aging as a disease that can be measured, then it can be treated, and this is a serious area of investigation for us.The study was led by Marina Leitman, MD; Shmuel Fuchs, MD; Amir Hadanny, MD; Zvi Vered, MD; and Efrati. It was published in The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging.

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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves heart function in healthy, aging people - The Jerusalem Post