Study reveals how the body reacts to different oxygen levels

All it takes to realize how harmful it is to not get enough oxygen is to hold your breath for a few seconds. However, is having too much possible? In fact, inhaling air that contains more levels of oxygen than your body needs can cause illnesses or even death.

Yet little is known about how the body detects too much oxygen due to the paucity of study on the subject. The amount of information known about the underlying mechanisms and the reasons they are important for health has been significantly increased according to recent research from Gladstone Institutes.

Their research, which was published in the journal Science Advances, clarifies how breathing air with varying oxygen concentrations—from too little to just right to too much—affects the synthesis and breakdown of several proteins in the mouse heart, brain, and lungs. Interestingly, the study also identifies a specific protein that could be crucial in controlling how cells react to hyperoxia.

Senior author of the current study and Gladstone Assistant Investigator Isha Jain, PhD, said, “These results have implications for many different diseases.” Studies indicate that supplemental oxygen may be exacerbating certain medical conditions for over a million people in the US who use it daily. Our study is only beginning to shed light on what’s going on and how the body reacts in that particular context.”