After 60 HBOT sessions, the protective caps on DNA in blood cells were more than 20% longer.
Those caps are called telomeres. Length was analysed in 25 of 35 healthy adults aged 64 and older. B-cell telomeres lengthened the most: by about 29% by session 60.
Published evidence cited here: Hachmo et al., Aging, 2020 [1]; Fu et al., Redox Biology, 2022 [2].
| No. | Article | Year |
|---|---|---|
| [1] | Hachmo et al., Aging | 2020 |
| [2] | Fu et al., Redox Biology | 2022 |
The trial measured blood cells, not how old people were.
Hachmo et al. (2020) followed 35 healthy, independently living adults aged 64 and older. They received 60 daily HBOT exposures. Five people never completed the baseline blood draw. The remaining 30 finished the course. Because some tubes had too few cells, telomere length was analysed in 25 people, and worn-out T cells in 20.[1]
Sessions ran five days a week for about three months, in a multiplace hospital chamber. Each session used 100% oxygen by mask at 2 ATA, twice everyday air pressure, for 90 minutes. The team inserted a five-minute air break every 20 minutes. Compression and decompression moved at one metre per minute. Participants were asked not to change their diets, exercise routines, or medicines during the trial.
Blood was taken at the start, at session 30, at session 60, and one to two weeks after the last session. The team did not count birthdays or walking speed. They measured telomeres, the protective tips on DNA, in T-helper, T-cytotoxic, natural-killer, and B cells. They also counted T cells that had stopped dividing. There was no comparison group that skipped HBOT.
Fu and colleagues, in 2022, did not run that trial again. Their paper reviews research linking oxygen, cellular stress, and healthy ageing. They write that a generally applicable HBOT plan for ageing has not been defined.[2]
Telomere length in immune blood cells rose more than 20% from each person’s baseline.
After the course, telomere length in those blood-cell types rose by more than 20% from each person's own baseline. B-cell telomeres lengthened the most: by about 26% at session 30, 29% at session 60, and 38% in the follow-up draw. T-helper telomeres were longer at session 30 and after the course. Natural-killer and T-cytotoxic cells also lengthened, with most of the gain already visible by session 30.[1]
Worn-out T-helper cells fell by about 37% in the follow-up sample. Worn-out T-cytotoxic cells fell by about 11% to 12% across the later draws. A protein the authors tracked as HIF-1alpha, a switch cells use when oxygen changes, was higher at session 60. Two weeks later it was no longer clearly different from the start.
The group was small, had no comparison arm, and did not test whether people lived longer or functioned better.
Fu’s review places that trial in a broader research context: HBOT research touches some of the same cellular themes ageing researchers discuss, including oxidative stress and senescent cells. Fu also notes that a single ageing protocol for everyone has not been settled.[2]
Bryan Johnson includes HBOT in his public longevity routine. That is one person's programme; the published result here comes from blood samples in the Hachmo trial.
Longer telomeres in blood cells are one marker, not a measure of lifespan.
An HBOT cocoon® is a wellness system. This study measured selected blood cells after a hospital protocol. Use the product pages to compare pressure, oxygen delivery, and room fit for home wellness.
A linked DOI opens the original paper on the publisher site.
- Y. Hachmo et al., "Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases telomere length and decreases immunosenescence in isolated blood cells: A prospective trial," Aging, vol. 12, no. 22, pp. 22445-22456, Nov. 2020. [Online]. Available: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33206062/
- Q. Fu, R. Duan, Y. Sun, and Q. Li, "Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for healthy aging: From mechanisms to therapeutics," Redox Biology, vol. 53, p. 102352, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102352
