Hypoxia Conditioning in Health, Exercise and Sport

While severe hypoxia has detrimental health consequences, the controlled application of hypoxia can be protective and holds great promise as a performance-enhancing and therapeutic intervention. Hypoxia Conditioning in Health, Exercise and Sport: Principles, Mechanisms and Applications delivers an understanding of systemic and molecular mechanisms involved in hypoxia adaptations and examines the most promising forms of hypoxia conditioning with a view to create performance-enhancing strategies for athletes, as well as an offering an examination on clinical applications for numerous pathologies. This cutting-edge book examines how positive physiological adaptations not only acutely enhance tolerance to hypoxia but can also induce sustained health benefits. This has enabled the development and refinement of approaches utilizing hypoxia, strategies also termed hypoxia conditioning, to improve health and performance outcomes. By linking research with recommendations for real-world situations, this volume will serve as an invaluable resource for students, academics, exercise science professionals and sports medicine specialists, especially those in environmental physiology and coaching subjects.

Olivier Girard is a professor at the University of Western Australia, researching the mechanisms and adaptations that influence health and performance during physical activity in adverse environmental conditions (heat and altitude). (https://www.oliviergirard.com/) Johannes Burtscher is a neurobiologist investigating oxygen availability and consumption in humans and animals, with a focus on mitochondrial physiology in the brain and in brain-aging. Martin Burtscher is a retired professor in sports science and sports medicine at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Grégoire Millet is a professor in exercise and environmental physiology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

1. Hypoxia: The Basics 2. Mechanisms of Intermittent Hypoxia Health Benefits 3a. Ischemic Preconditioning: A Practical Tool for Enhancing Exercise Performance 3b. The Voluntary Hypoventilation at Low Lung Volume (VHL) Method 4. Historical Development of Altitude Training and Hypoxic Conditioning 5. Neurodegenerative Diseases 6. Spinal Cord Injury 7. Psychiatric Diseases 8. Hypoxemia, Pulmonary Disorders, And Hypoxia Conditioning 9. Hypoxia and Obesity 10. Metabolic Disorders, i.e., Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes 11. Intermittent Hypoxia Conditioning for Therapy of Systemic Hypertension 12. Intermittent Hypoxia: Effective Systemic Modality for Cardiac Rehabilitation 13. Load-Compromised Individuals 14. Applications from Before Birth to High Age 15. Hypoxia Conditioning for Pre-Acclimatization Before Going To High Altitude (i.e., Hiking, Skiing, Trekking, Climbing) 16. Altitude/Hypoxic Training for Endurance Athletes 17. Altitude Training in Team-Sport Athletes 18. Hypoxic Training for Strength Enhancement 19. Hematological and Doping Issues 20. Potential Downsides of Intermittent Hypoxia - Immune Function, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress 21. Combination with Temperature Changes 22. Intermittent Hypoxia-Hyperoxia: Mechanisms and Clinical Application