Physiological responses to a six-week apnoeic training program
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Physiological responses to a six-week apnoeic training program in naive breath-hold divers.
IRAS ID
223916
Contact name
Antonis Elia
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Beckett University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
Elite breath-hold divers are reported to have greater splenic volumes, higher haemoglobin (Hb) and haematocrit (Hct) concentrations (deBruijn et al., 2008; Schagatay et al., 2009; Schagatay et al., 2012). Furthermore, elite breath-hold divers also have a lower blood lactate accumulation and a higher carbon dioxide tolerance (Joulia et al., 2002; Joulia et al., 2003; Theunissen et al., 2013). The above mechanisms collectively aid towards increasing one’s breath-hold duration. This might indicate a development of adaptive mechanisms that decelerate the utilisation of oxygen and protect breath-hold divers from the hypoxic conditions. Therefore, to what extent the above observations (higher Hb, Hct concentrations, lower blood lactate accumulation, greater splenic volumes and carbon dioxide tolerance) are a result of breath-hold training warrants further investigation. Furthermore, diving mammals have been shown to have higher amounts of type-1 fibres, myoglobin (Mb) and increased capillary density in their most active skeletal muscles (Burns, 1999; Kanatous et al., 2008; Kanatous et al., 2009; Ponganis et al., 2010). This may present a training induced stimulus in mammals. Thus it is tempting to speculate that dynamic skeletal muscle activity during repeated breath-holds may stimulate a chronic adaptive response within skeletal muscle and its microvasculature, which may aid towards enhancing an individual’s aerobic dive limit; the longest dive that can be achieved while relying primarily on oxygen stored in the blood and muscle to sustain aerobic metabolism.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/YH/0199
Date of REC Opinion
31 Jul 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion