Take Your Vitamins Before Scuba Diving

Researchers have found that a single scuba air dive (30 meters depth for 30 minutes) is enough to induce mild changes in cardiac function and a significant decrease in endothelial function. Whether these effects are long-term, and thus pose serious threat to divers’ health, is not yet certain.

However a new study, published in The Journal of Physiology, shows that acute oral intake of largely accepted antioxidants Vitamin C and E prior to a scuba dive can reduce alterations in cardiovascular function, particularly acute endothelial dysfunction. Authors suggest that pre-dive intake of antioxidant vitamins may prevent some of the negative effects of diving on vascular function.