For Type 2 diabetics, platelet activation plays a key role in atherothrombosis (the leading cause of mortality in the Western world). These individuals are at higher risk for cardiovascular-related deaths from both strokes and heart attacks. The high levels of blood sugars can cause platelet aggregation and blood hyperviscosity. In this study, researchers monitored platelet aggregation during a 5 day course of hyperbaric therapy (HBOT) at 2.4 ATA and observed a significant reduction in platelet aggregation parameters. This study demonstrates that HBOT could provide diabetics another protective mechanism, as this procedure has already been shown to help sensitize insulin levels and effectively help lower blood sugar levels. Both of these mechanisms can be extremely important in helping diabetics reduce their overall cardiovascular risks and helping them to live  longer, while reducing their chance of living in a  debilitated state from some of the devastating complication of diabetes (for example strokes and heart attacks). <view study> Read Less

Obesity and diabetes are both prevalent and rapidly increasing in the aging population, leading to impairment in cardiac function. In this study, rats were given a chemical compound (D-Galactose) to accelerate the aging process and produce cardiac dysfunction. The rats were pre-diabetic and  were given hyperbaric oxygen therapy 60 minutes 2.0 ATA daily. With the addition of hyperbaric therapy, the rats were able to show improvements in cardiac function, along with many other benefits. Here are the authors' conclusions for this study: "Our results indicated that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) could restore the normal cardiac function in either aging induced by D-gal rats or high-fat diet induced pre-diabetic rats. Mechanistically, HBOT effectively alleviated the cardiac dysfunction in aging pre-diabetic rats through decreased oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, dysfunctional mitochondria, metabolic and autophagic impairments. Thus, HBOT could be a potential therapeutic intervention in aging pre-diabetic people with impaired cardiac function" <view study> Read Less