Obesity is an epidemic in Western society and is the biggest risk factor for insulin
resistance and type 2 diabetes. The investigators have recently shown that exposure to
hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) leads to an increase insulin sensitivity in males ubjects and that
this improvement can be measured in all men, not just those with diabetes. The aim of this
study is to investigate the time course of this effect and explore the mechanisms involved.
The investigators suspect that insulin sensitivity as measured by
hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp will be increased within the time-frame of one 2-hour
hyperbaric oxygen exposure, and that the improvement will be measurable in females as well as
males.

Obesity is an epidemic in Western society and is the biggest risk factor for insulin
resistance and type 2 diabetes. The investigators have preliminary evidence showing that
hyperbaric oxygen therapy rapidly increases insulin sensitivity in humans. This requires
confirmation in a larger population, and with this study the investigators will also test for
mechanisms how this occurs. The investigators suspect that modulation of hypoxia and stress
response proteins following changes in tissue oxygenation may contribute to these
improvements. This study has the potential to yield new and important insights into the
insulin resistance in obesity.