HBOT for Weight Loss

HBOT for weight loss is a great option for people wanting to improve their health. Obesity has become a worldwide concern over the last few decades and people are scrambling to find ways to become healthier as modern science understands more and more how the human body works. One way that obesity can be addressed and weight loss expediated is through Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, or HBOT for short. HBOT makes an interesting case when addressing obesity, as it uses oxygen to improve metabolism, blood flow, immune system and ultimately leads to a better and healthier circulation. In this blog, we will explore how obesity sets in, the power of oxygenation, and how HBOT for weight loss works.

What is HBOT?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a promising treatment option that delivers nearly 100% pure oxygen to a patient’s lung system via inhalation in a hyperbaric chamber at significantly greater pressure than normal atmospheric pressure. The compressed oxygen coupled to the blood plasma reaches the tissues and organs more efficiently this manner. It hastens healing processes, allows human cell regeneration, and cures and rejuvenates the human body. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy improves the human body’s health and quality of life. The process is painless and takes between 60 and 90 minutes. HBOT is a very successful, all-natural method for reducing inflammation, accelerating wound healing, and optimizing physical and mental performance.

You can receive oxygen therapy in one of two methods. The first is for you to wear a mask that supplies clean oxygen to your face. The second method of receiving oxygen therapy is to receive an intravenous needle, which gives additional oxygen to your body through your bloodstream. The reasoning for why oxygen treatment may aid in weight loss is straightforward. Inside your body, fat is made up of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. So, by increasing the amount of oxygen in your body, the fat should be forced to absorb more oxygen and convert to either water or carbon dioxide. Both of these can be safely removed from the body, assisting you in your weight loss efforts. As a result, oxygen therapy should potentially aid in weight loss.

Patients’ mental states, as well as their concentration and functioning abilities, improve immediately following their first procedure in a hyperbaric chamber. The effects enhance their mood and help them sleep better. The hyperbaric chamber procedures calm the nervous system, relieve tension and restlessness in the body, and subsequently improve focus and memory. HBOT aids in the treatment of migraines and high blood pressure. All patients with vascular problems should receive preventive treatment in a portable hyperbaric chamber. HBOT enhances blood circulation and aids in the delivery of oxygen to specific tissues, muscles, and organs. Regular treatments in the hyperbaric chamber help to prevent the formation of a heart attack or stroke. At the same time, HBOT is particularly successful in the subsequent regeneration after a heart attack or stroke, allowing for a speedier recovery and return to normal life. HBOT is extremely successful in treating acute respiratory disorders and also boosts the body’s overall immunity. Chronic persistent infections and skin problems are two more key treatment segments that benefit from HBOT. It helps metabolism and digestion, as well as slowing the progression of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoarthritis, and atherosclerosis. HBOT helps reduce symptoms and improve quality of life in children with congenital moderate brain impairment or autism. Extensive clinical trials have been and are being conducted in other countries (particularly the United States and the United Kingdom) on the use of oxygen therapy in a hyperbaric chamber to treat a variety of diseases, including multiple sclerosis, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Tinnitus, vision loss, hearing loss, and others.

Does HBOT help with weight loss?

Many patients have started using HBOT for weight loss. Obesity is a global health problem that affects both first world and also developing countries. Obesity is becoming more common around the world as a result of increased consumption of higher- calorie meals, along with the decreased use of body energy. According to the World Health Organization, global obesity nearly doubled between 1980 and 2008. The rise of general obesity in China has increased by approximately 90%, which is currently garnering concern.

Obesity is generally defined as a chronic pathological condition characterized by excess fat deposition in adipose tissue. This is usually accompanied by metabolic dysfunctions such as increased lipid storage in tissues, compensatory lipolysis increase, skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation dysfunction, and increased circulatory free fatty acid. These abnormalities in lipid metabolism are risk factors for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer. The underlying molecular mechanism of these abnormalities is currently being explored extensively, although much work and research still needs to be done.

Skeletal muscle is involved during fatty acid metabolism, particularly oxidative slow-twitch fibers. A high fat diet has been demonstrated to boost compensatory skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and beta-oxidation. In contrast, HFD treatment has also been linked to mitochondrial complication and interrupted beta-oxidation. The process of this beta-oxidation involves many chemicals. L-carnitine, a quaternary amine molecule, is particularly important because it serves several functions in fatty acid metabolism. L-carnitine’s main purpose is participating in the traditional “carnitine shuttle” mechanism. Changes in L-carnitine levels are linked to CPT1 expression and beta oxidation levels, implying that L-carnitine levels are linked to beta-oxidation efficacy. Furthermore, a decrease in L-carnitine levels in skeletal muscle has been linked to an increase in circulatory FFA, with the latter mostly releasing from adipose tissue via lipolysis, with hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) being the rate-limiting enzyme, demonstrating that L-carnitine may influence lipid metabolism in both skeletal muscle and the principal fatty acid storage site, adipose tissue. Notably, there were contradictory findings on L-carnitine’s impact on obesity and metabolic syndrome. While it is acknowledged that L-carnitine supplements are ineffective for weight loss or correcting dyslipidemia, evidence for its effect on obesity and enhancing lipid metabolism has also been published. Much more research into the involvement of L-carnitine in fatty acid metabolism disorders is needed.

Many treatments, like pharmacy medications and physical exercise regimens, have been used to treat fatty acid metabolism malfunction and obesity. However, low response rates and unpleasant results hamper their use. Therefore, other possible treatments for fatty acid metabolism malfunction and obesity are widely desired. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT) treatment is a type of physical therapy in which patients are given 100% oxygen at pressures more than one atmosphere absolute. HBOT has been used to treat decompression sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning, clostridial infections, diabetic cutaneous problems, burning, radiation damage, and delayed wound healing in clinical trials. Recently, HBOT treatment has been proven to aid in metabolic disorders. Thus, in the current research, HBOT therapy is used in conjunction with HFD in C57/B6 mice to see if it may relieve HFD-induced fatty acid metabolic dysfunction.

HBOT and Hyperlipidemia

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can promote weight loss. It also reduces hyperlipidemia and blood lipid reduction. This helps patients live a better quality of life. Hyperlipidemia is defined as a a condition with an elevated level of lipids, like cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood. Doctors link this disease to atherosclerosis (the hardening of the arteries) and other serious conditions like heart attacks, stroke, and peripheral artery disease among others.

Obesity and hyperlipidemia has prevalently become a significant public health concern worldwide. Both conditions are often linked to cardiovascular disease. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a widely-used clinical practice that oxygenates your blood in order to reduce hyperlipidemia.

A recent study sought to explore the effects of HBOT on weight loss and recovery of hyperlipidemia in rats, as well as investigate possible mechanisms. The study involved 180 lab rats, which were divided into six groups of 30. The first three groups were injected with fat emulsion to create hyperlipidemia models. The remaining three groups received normal saline. The first three groups received 3 h/d, 6 h/d, or 0 h/d of HBOT, respectively, while the last three groups received the same treatment.

Results showed clearly that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can promote weight loss and reduce hyperlipidemia. The hyperlipidemia group that was treated with 3 h/d Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. This group by far the most significant reduction in hyperlipidemia compared to the other groups and even had protective effects on the heart and kidneys. Although 6 h/d Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy had a more well-pronounced effect on lowering hyperlipidemia, it also caused more liver damage to the subjects. The normal group treated with HBOT for 3 h/d or 6 h/d both had weight loss effects. The impact of liver injury was not apparent. However, the 6 h/d Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy group had a more prominent weight loss effect.

During the HBOT procedure, 400-600 calories are burned in one hour. This energy expenditure has a great effect on weight loss. The procedures alone do not cause automatic weight loss. A patient who wants to lose weight must keep a so-called daily caloric deficit (total calorie intake per day must be lower than the expenditure). One hour in HBOT burns the same number of calories as 1 hour of tennis or running with medium intensity. HBOT also helps flush out toxins, drug residues and overall cleanses the body.