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11:56
Training Rats to Voluntarily Dive Underwater: Investigations of the Mammalian Diving Response
Published on: November 12, 2014
Antioxidant pretreatment and reduced arterial endothelial dysfunction after diving
Ante Obad1, Zoran Valic, Ivan Palada
1Department of Physiology, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia.
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
|December 11, 2007
Summary
Long-term antioxidant supplementation before diving significantly reduced endothelial dysfunction in divers. This suggests routine predive antioxidant use may benefit recreational divers by protecting arterial function.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Marine Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Scuba diving can cause acute arterial vasodilation and impair endothelium-dependent vasodilation.
- Previous studies indicated that high-dose predive antioxidants partially mitigated these negative effects.
- This study investigated the impact of long-term, lower-dose antioxidant supplementation on endothelial function in divers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively evaluate the effect of long-term, lower-dose antioxidant supplementation on arterial endothelial function in professional divers.
- To determine if antioxidants can prevent or reduce diving-induced endothelial dysfunction.
Main Methods:
- Eight professional male divers underwent an open sea air dive to 30 meters of seawater (msw).
- Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), an indicator of endothelial function, was measured before and after diving.
- Vascular smooth muscle function was assessed using nitroglycerine, a measure of endothelium-independent dilation.
Main Results:
- A dive without antioxidants caused significant arterial vasodilation and a substantial reduction in FMD (from 7.6% to 2.8%).
- With antioxidant supplementation, arterial diameter remained unchanged, and FMD reduction was significantly less (from 8.1% to 6.8%).
- Endothelium-independent vasodilation via nitroglycerine was unaffected by diving in either condition.
Conclusions:
- Long-term antioxidant treatment, even at a lower Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) dose, effectively reduces endothelial dysfunction in divers.
- The findings suggest that routine predive antioxidant supplementation could be beneficial for recreational divers.
- Antioxidants appear to protect endothelial function without affecting vascular smooth muscle responsiveness.
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