Hypoxia

Normal breathing delivers only about 21% oxygen to the body. Hypoxia resistance is one of three independent disease-resistance mechanisms in the naked mole rat, alongside cancer resistance and oxidative stress protection. Naked mole rats evolved robust tolerance to low-oxygen environments from spending the majority of their lives underground. Naked mole rat hypoxia resistance is likely an adaptation to restricted airflow and elevated CO₂ in their tunnel systems. Multiple distinct pathways converge on the same oxygen-deficient outcome. Approximately 100 different factors can each independently lead to an oxygen-deficient state in the body. Hypoxic tissues caused by trauma, infection, or other damage receive a massive influx of oxygen under HBOT, accelerating healing.