The world of science has seen many incredible self-experiments. From the French adventurer Michel Siffre who spent six months in complete darkness to study the body’s circadian rhythms to biohacker Bryan Johnson’s reverse ageing lifestyle, the quest to push human boundaries continues.
In 2023, Dr. Joseph Dituri, also known as ‘Dr Deep Sea,’ took on a remarkable challenge: spending 100 days in a habitat situated 30 feet under a Florida lagoon. His aim was to explore how prolonged underwater living impacts the human body and to research a type of medicine that helps deliver oxygen under high pressures by promoting the growth of new blood vessels.
Dr. Dituri scuba-dived into a 9m by 9m room where he closely monitored his body’s reaction to the intense pressure of underwater living. He was supported by medical, psychological, and psychosocial experts to ensure his safety.
‘Part of the work will see a psychologist and a psychiatrist monitor the effects he experiences while in an environment similar to extended space travel,’ a press release from last year revealed. ‘It’s an isolating confined extreme environment. And as humans, we really need to figure out how we’re going to be living in that environment if we’re going to expand our planet, go interplanetary, and find all the cures we need.’
Dr. Dituri did more than just science: he taught school kids via video and even discovered a ‘brand new species.’ When he resurfaced, the 56-year-old emphasized that his mission wasn’t about setting records, although being recognized by the Guinness World Records was certainly a nice bonus.
‘It was about extending human tolerance for the underwater world and for an isolated, confined, extreme environment,’ he explained. His experiments showed significant health improvements, including a 50% reduction in inflammatory markers in his body.
Among the most astonishing findings were the lengthening of his telomeres, structures on chromosomes associated with longevity. ‘I’m 56 now. My extrinsic [biological] age was 44. When I got out of the water, my extrinsic age was 34,’ Dr. Dituri told reporters at WKMG News in Orlando. ‘I actually got younger when I was under the water.’ Although his telomeres are no longer as long as they were when he first emerged, they are still longer than before his underwater mission.
Dr. Dituri believes his remarkable ‘age reversal’ was due to living in a high-pressure or ‘hyperbaric’ environment. This unique environment seemed to contribute to his improved health and younger biological age. While further research is needed, Dr. Dituri’s experiment opens exciting possibilities for understanding human health and aging in extreme environments.
