Breakthrough anti-ageing oxygen treatment makes patients 'grow younger'

Ageing is a fact of life, but there are now effective ways that could somehow slow down the whole process. In fact, there are scientists who have discovered how to reverse the ageing of blood cells, and eventually get them to "grow younger."

A study titled, "Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases telomere length and decreases immunosenescence in isolated blood cells" published in the journal Aging found that hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT) can stop blood cells from deteriorating and reverse the ageing process. Suffice to say, the blood cells of adults "grow younger" as the treatment progresses.

Professor Shai Efrati, the lead author of the study from Tel Aviv University, said in a news release that their team has engaged in hyperbaric research and therapy treatments for many years. Their research has been based on a protocol of exposure to high-pressure oxygen in different concentrations in a pressure chamber. He underscored one of their best achievements, which was improving damaged brain functions of patients who had suffered from a stroke, brain injury, as well as those resulting from ageing. Efrati further explained how they wanted to examine the impact of HBOT on ageing adults and to find out if the treatment could slow down, reverse, or stop the process at the cellular level.

Efrati and his team exposed 35 healthy individuals aged 64 and above to the treatment. For a period of 90 days, participants had a series of 60 hyperbaric sessions. Before the treatment, participants provided blood samples to researchers. During the treatment, they provided another set of blood samples, and another at the end of the treatment. The researchers then analysed the immune cells in the blood and also compared the results.

The researchers found that the treatment reversed ageing at the cellular level. The treatment lengthened the telomeres, and shortened another type of cell, the senescent cell, both of which contribute to the reversal of the ageing process.

Professor Efrati said that at present, shortening the telomeres is considered the "Holy Grail" when it comes to reversing ageing. He added that all over the world, researchers are trying to develop environmental and pharmacological interventions, which would promote the elongation of the telomeres. He highlighted that their HBOT protocol was able to achieve this, which proves that ageing can be reversed at the cellular level.

Lifestyle factors like getting a good night's rest and eating the right kind of food will still play a role. Keeping oneself active will also contribute to keeping that youthful glow.

Reversing the Aging Process