Obesity is an epidemic in Western society and is the biggest risk factor for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The investigators have preliminary evidence showing that hyperbaric oxygen therapy rapidly increases insulin sensitivity in humans. This requires confirmation in a larger population, and with this study the investigators will also test for mechanisms how this occurs. The investigators suspect that modulation of hypoxia and stress response proteins following changes in tissue oxygenation may contribute to these improvements. This study has the potential to yield new and important insights into the insulin resistance in obesity.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
20
Participants will undergo 4 treatments of hyperbaric oxygen. Each treatment consists of 90 minutes compression at 2 atmospheres of pressure, with 30 minutes decompression back to 1 atmosphere, during this time, patients will be treated with 100% Oxygen delivered via a hood system.
University of Adelaide
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Insulin sensitivity
Using Hyperinsulinemic clamp
Time frame: 1 year
Hypoxia and inflammatory markers
using IHC, qPCR, Western blot
Time frame: 1 year
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