Scientist who spent more than 90 days at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean claims it de-aged him
Record-holding scientist spent more than 90 days at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean claims it DE-AGED him by more than a decade
A scientist claims he has increased his lifespan by 20 percent after living 93 days underwater.
Joseph Dituri, 55, a retired Naval officer, has been living inside a 100-square-foot pod at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for 93 days, researching how a pressurized environment impacts the human body.
The mission was also designed to beat the world record for living underwater - the previous stay was 73 days.
Dituri told DailyMail.com that doctors conducted tests on his body to see how it changed from March to June, including tests that measure telomeres, compounds at the end of chromosomes that shorten with age.
He claims they are now 20 percent longer, and he has up to 10 times more stem cells than when he first moved into the underwater pod in March.
Dituri experiences 60 to 66 percent deep REM sleep every night, his inflammatory markers have been cut by half and his cholesterol has dropped by 72 points, he claims.
The scientist did not provide details of how his telomeres were measured, but there are testing services that measure their length from blood samples.
And most services take about two weeks to provide results.
The health changes are due to the pressure, which is similar to the process in hyperbaric chambers, which are found to improve cerebral blood flow, brain metabolism, and brain microstructure, leading to improved cognitive functions, physical functions, sleep, and gait.
A study conducted by Tel Aviv University in 2020 found hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT) in healthy aging adults can stop the aging of blood cells and reverse the aging process.
The researchers exposed 35 healthy individuals aged 64 or over to a series of 60 hyperbaric sessions over 90 days.
Each participant provided blood samples before, during and at the end of the treatments and sometime after the treatments concluded. The researchers then analyzed various immune cells in the blood and compared the results.
Focusing on immune cells containing DNA obtained from the participants' blood, the study discovered a lengthening of up to 38 percent of the telomeres, according to Tel Aviv University's press release.
Dituri is using the pressurized environment to study how the human body responds to long-term exposure to extreme pressure in a small space for 100 days - a similar environment spacefaring heroes will endure while traveling to the Red Planet.
'You need one of these places that is cut off from outside activity,' Dituri told DailyMail.com, referring to the tiny pod.
'Send people down here for a two-week vacation, where they get their feet scrubbed, relax and can experience the benefit of hyperbaric medicine.'
Dituri began this epic mission on March 1 with not just a goal of breaking the record of living the longest underwater - it was previously 73 days - but also to learn how the pressure can benefit the human body.
He works out for one hour four to five days a week but only has access to exercise bands.
'I am still maintaining the mass that I have, which is insane,' said Dituri.
'My metabolism has increased, so my body has become leaner, and even though my muscle mass has not changed [since I was on the surface], I am still leaner than I was.'
The change in the number of stem cells has also been a part of his research.
Stem cells are a promising potential solution for reversing the visible signs of aging, and Stanford found that old human cells can be rejuvenated with stem cells.
When DailyMail.com first spoke with Dituri, he was just 24 days into the mission and said he suspected his telomeres would grow to be much longer - and he was correct.
Previous research has shown that telomeres, which protect chromosomes from becoming frayed, lengthen when the body is under extreme pressure.
‘We suspect, or we know in hyperbaric medicine, that after about 60 treatments one hour per day at a higher pressure than I'm at right now, one hour per day you will grow them between 25 and 33 percent, the jury is still out on that it is not full of science,' said Dituri in March.
And speaking with the scientist recently, he said the compounds had grown 20 percent.
'We knew this was going to happen. Whether these sticks is the question. That's what we want to see when we come out of this,' Dituri said.
While the underwater lodge is small, the pod has a work area, kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms, and a small 'swimming pool' that acts as the exit and entrance and a window with a view of the ocean.
Dituri told DailyMail.com from the bunker on day 24: 'I'm loving it. I've got a coffee maker because God knows science does not happen without coffee.'
He has also been testing technology that could be used to help astronauts who make the epic journey to Mars.
One of the devices is a pre-NASA tool, meaning it must be tested before the agency takes it on.
It is similar to Star Trek's tricorder, which scans the body to monitor a person's health and determine if they need medical assistance.
Dituri is also investigating how to prevent muscle mass loss while in space, which plagues astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS).
'We're going to Mars, but it is going to take 200 days to get there on the best home and transfer window,' Dituri told DailyMail.com.
'[When you get there] you are going to have decreased muscle mass, and you're not going to be able to see very far, and you're not going to be in really good shape, and you're going to have decreased bone density, and we're going to land you hard on a re-endurable market as it lands and slams down to the ground.
'I think maybe that's a bad idea, and we need to figure some stuff out first, but that is just me.'
Dituri's home away from home is located at Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo.
There is a TV, although I really do not know how to turn it on. I have a small freezer like in a hotel room,' he said, while also noting he keeps a stash of chocolate in the pod.
A small microwave is on a shelf, the only thing that can be used for cooking.
'Every good hotel has to have a pool, and my hotel has a teeny little pool outside,' said Dituri.
'This is how we enter and exit from the habitat. So when I go for a scuba dive with all my scuba diving gear, I get it on. I go out of the hole, and then I dive around. So that's how people come in and come out.'
Dituri sleeps on a twin-size bed with a small bunk on top, which is the same setup in an adjacent room for scientists who visit him.
Dituri found his passion for science while serving as a saturation diving officer in the US Navy for 28 years.
After retiring in 2012 as a commander, Dituri enrolled at the University of South Florida to earn his doctoral degree to learn more about traumatic brain injuries.
And he is also a published author.
'I was bored during COVID because they would not let me treat patients for the first couple of months, so I wrote a book,' Dituri said while noting it is available on Amazon.
'It's called 'Secrets in Depth. It's about a nice Italian boy from New York who joins the Navy and gets to a whole bunch of trouble with the CIA.'
While the scientist is working to find a cure for astronaut ailments, he is also missing his three daughters, who he raves about at any chance he gets.
His 21-year-old daughter, Gabrielle, graduated from the California Institute of Technology in May, an event he could not attend.
Sophie, 19, happily works at a restaurant in South Tampa, Florida and Josephine, 27, has a Masters in psychology and works in New York City.
dailymail.co.uk
