A scientist says spending 93 days underwater has turned back the aging clock and left him 10 years younger.
Retired naval officer Joseph Dituri has spent more than three months living inside a 100sqft pod in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.
His time spent below the waves was part of a study group to research the effects of a pressurised environment on the human body.
It also gave him the opportunity to beat the previous world record for living underwater, dwarfing the previous record holder’s 73 days.
After getting back to dry land, Dituri was assessed by medics who measured his vitals and telomeres – the DNA sequence that attach to the end of chromosomes.
Telomeres usually dwindle as we age, but Dituri’s are now 20 per cent longer than when he submerged in March.
He added that he also has 10 times more stem cells than at the start of the research.
Other beneficial effects of the deep-sea hibernation were that he now gets 60 to 66 per cent deep REM sleep at night, a 72-point drop in cholesterol and that his inflammatory markers have been slashed in half.
The massive changes in his physical health are attributed to the pressure, which is known to have a number of positive effects.
One similar form of treatment is the hyperbaric chamber, which improves brain health, leading to better cognition.
Dituri’s research allowed him to see how human bodies respond to pressurised environments for a longer period of time.
Speaking to the DailyMail about the pod he called home for 93 days, he said: ‘You need one of these places that is cut off from outside activity.
‘Send people down here for a two-week vacation, where they get their feet scrubbed, relax and can experience the benefit of hyperbaric medicine.’
During the getaway, he worked out for an hour five days a week but could only use exercise bands.
He has still maintained the mass he developed down there weeks later.
He added that his metabolism has increased, allowing his body to become ‘leaner’.
His stem cells, which are already touted as a way of reversing visible aging, have multiplied by 10.
