New Pill May Help Divers Fend Off the Bends

Thursday, March 25th, 2004

I find the focus of the article (and its headline) peculiar, given the actual research finding. From New Pill May Help Divers Fend Off the Bends:

Divers may soon be able to take a pill that fends off decompression sickness when surfacing, according to a team of Norwegian scientists.

‘The bends’ happen when sudden pressure changes lead to bubbles of gas forming in the bloodstream.

Researchers found that a bout of intense exercise around 20 hours before a dive dramatically reduced bubble formation, New Scientist magazine reported Wednesday.

One theory suggests exercise stimulates the release of nitric oxide (NO), which dilates blood vessels and makes them more slippery and difficult for tiny bubbles to stick to.

The Norwegian team thinks it may be possible within a decade to develop an NO-releasing drug for divers which would mimic the effect of exercise.

Is a bout of exercise the day before a dive that inconvenient?

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