[Various mechanisms of protective action of interval hypoxic training during preparation for abdominal delivery]

The levels of epinephrine and glucose and the index of free radical-mediated oxidation were evaluated in the blood plasma of pregnant women during their preparation for Cesarean operation and after surgery. The patients were adapted to interval normobaric hypoxia (a course of interval hypoxic training (IHT)) whereas the control group received placebo. IHT prevented pre- and postsurgical increases in plasma epinephrine and glucose levels. It also prevented increases in free radical generation and red blood cell superoxide dismutase activity. The findings suggest that IHT prevents surgical stress by optimizing both hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning and free radical-mediated process control.