Comparing the Blood Response to Hyperbaric Oxygen with High-Intensity Interval Training-A Crossover Study in Healthy Volunteers
Question
Do acute hyperbaric oxygen and acute HIIT produce overlapping blood biomarker and immune transcriptomic responses in healthy volunteers?
Summary
In 10 healthy active adults, one acute treadmill HIIT session caused marked cardiometabolic strain and transient oxidative-stress and immune-gene-expression changes. Hyperbaric oxygen produced a smaller but overlapping PBMC gene-expression pattern. The paper is mechanistic and exploratory, not evidence for a training program.
Methodology
- Healthy physically active volunteers.
- 10 participants.
- Treadmill running.
- Work intervals: 4 x 3 min.
- Recovery: 2 min slow jog.
- Intensity: Borg RPE >=17 target; observed mean RPE 19 and about 98% HRmax.
- 28 min.
- single acute session.
- single session.
- Acute crossover feasibility study
- Reactive oxygen species, PBMC gene expression, and Venous oxygen saturation were tracked.
Outcomes
HIIT ROS
Reactive oxygen species increased after HIIT.
30 min p=0.04; 60 min p=0.02.
PBMC genes
HIIT changed more genes than hyperbaric oxygen, with substantial overlap among shared genes.
HIIT 1149 genes, HBO2 222 genes, overlap 166; rho=0.81, p<2.2e-16.
Insights
- A single hard treadmill interval session can produce measurable acute oxidative-stress and immune-transcriptomic changes.
- Use RPE and heart-rate monitoring when imposing near-maximal acute HIIT in a lab-style protocol.
Limitations
- Very small sample.
- Acute exposure only; no training adaptation data.
- Healthy active participants only.
- Order was based on availability rather than randomization.
- Bulk PBMC transcriptomics may reflect immune-cell redistribution.
Safety
- No adverse events were reported.
- Participants were medically screened with ECG, blood pressure, peripheral saturation, and chest auscultation.
- The acute HIIT session was supervised with heart rate and RPE monitoring.