Does anybody have any comments on some of the newer findings on Heat Shock Proteins(HSP)? It has been established that HSP are produced by individual cells in response to environmental stress. These proteins aid in protecting the cell from further damage. It is being theorized that HSP can also help protect cells from damage due to decompression illness. More recent studies are also finding that exercise in the 24 hr. period leading up to a dive can increase production of HSP and possibly help to protect you from DCI occurance. There are also other compounds being identified, such as the plant extract TEX-OE, that can also increase the production of HSP.
I haven't heard of the HSP's, but as far as working out before diving is concerned, the other benefit you get is that the body's O2 transport capabilities get a boost, which also helps with efficient offgassing.
I can't remember the reference, but studies done on people who don't work out at all and then do one workout 24hrs before a dive did show a significant increase in offgassing efficiency (sorry for the rambling sentence - didn't have my coffee yet
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Anyways, I'd be curious to hear some more about this HSP stuff.
I found a research article on the DAN Europe website. It discusses some of the recent findings regarding HSP and the regulation of their production by the plant extract TEX-OE. I also did a little background searching and found out this extract is from the Prickly Pear cactus. Here's a link to the research paper. Its a PDF file so you'll need Acrobat to read it.