Many people want to live longer. They think eating less and exercising more can help. But scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital have found another way: breathing less oxygen. They conducted research on rats. They placed some mice in an environment with less oxygen, such as the air at the base of Mount Everest. These mice survived far longer than those in typical environments. The mice in the low-oxygen place lived 50 percent longer than the ones in the regular place. Is it the same for humans too? We might still wonder if breathing less oxygen could actually help humans live longer.
The idea is that when there’s less oxygen, it helps cells clean up damaged parts better, which might make us age slower.
This research might give hope for people to live longer, but we’re not sure if it will work the same in humans yet. Studies before have shown that folks living up in the mountains tend to live longer compared to those living by the sea. This might be because there’s less oxygen up there.
But living in high places has its own problems too. It can make babies smaller and stop them from growing well, maybe because there’s not enough oxygen around.
What do scientists say about it?
Dr. Roger Roberts, a lung doctor leading the research, warned not to rush to conclusions. He said, “It’s too early to say what this means for how people age. But there are some interesting clues from looking at how people live in high places where there’s less oxygen. It might make them live longer and have fewer problems as they get older.”
Scientists believe that not having enough oxygen may delay aging. This occurs because it improves our cells’ ability to clean up and repair themselves after being injured.
They also think that less oxygen means less damage from molecules released when we use oxygen for energy, which can hurt our DNA. Also, they saw less brain aging and inflammation when there wasn’t much oxygen around. But this study has some limits. First, it was done on mice, not people. Second, it seems like being in low oxygen levels might need to start when you’re young to see these effects.
The researchers said, “Looking at how people live, it seems like not having much oxygen might help slow down aging. But there are many other things that could also be making a difference. Some studies in Bolivia show that people who live really high up, where there’s not much oxygen, tend to live longer. And there’s some evidence that moving to a high place later in life might also have benefits.”
How can one reduce breathing? Does it really help extend lifespan?
Breathing less can potentially extend lifespan. While some research suggests that slight reductions in oxygen intake (such as through controlled breathing techniques or intermittent hypoxia training) may have health benefits in certain contexts, these techniques are typically performed under supervised conditions and are not about breathing less oxygen in general, but rather about controlled exposure to lower oxygen levels for specific physiological adaptation.
However, it is critical to speak with a healthcare practitioner before undertaking any of these techniques, since they may be dangerous if not done correctly. In general, maintaining a good balance of oxygen intake is critical to human health and lifespan.
