Is canned oxygen practical or placebo? I took a hike along it to find out.

Like most humans, I breathe a lot of oxygen. It is one of the few resources that is not universally marketed, and which we all enjoy for free. So I couldn’t help but laugh when I checked out my can increase oxygen At Walmart. I’d never paid for a plane before.

However, today, I was dropping $10.90 (after tax) for 5 liters of 95% pure “Aviators Breathing Oxygen”. This aerosol supplement is believed to enhance aerobic performance, recovery, and breathing capacity at high altitude or poor air quality conditions. At least, that’s what the packaging suggests.

Like many hikers, I’ve seen canned oxygen on the trail before. I’ve also hiked with people who have used it. Boost has been around since 2007, and every time I come across it, I can’t help but wonder, does this thing actually work?

That question ultimately led me to Dr. Lindsay Forbes, a pulmonologist and assistant professor of medicine, pulmonary sciences and critical care at the University of Colorado Anschutz. She treats lung disease patients, studies pulmonary hypertension, and is also interested in altitude science.

I wanted answers about canned oxygen from a medical expert. I also wanted to try this potential booster for myself. So, during that same morning, before sitting down to do a Forbes interview I found myself spending $2.18 a liter on oxygen at Walmart to see how it might – or might not – improve my hiking.

The Complex (and Problems) of Canned O2.

Supplemental oxygen—the kind that comes in large tanks—is used by people all over the world. This is almost 100% pure oxygen, delivered with enough pressure to make breathing easier. High altitude climbers carry oxygen tanks on many of their expeditions. And doctors often prescribe it to patients with lung disease who are traveling at high altitudes.

Higher air pressure, as found at sea level, forces oxygen into the bloodstream, making it easier to breathe at lower altitudes. As you climb higher, air pressure decreases and breathing becomes more difficult. For example, the air pressure at the summit of Everest is extremely low and the bloodstream absorbs 70 percent of the air. Less Oxygen. This is why the air feels “thin” on high peaks. It is also part of conditions such as altitude sickness, high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), and high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). Supplemental oxygen can prevent that.

Like Boost, this is partly the idea behind canned oxygen. It is a lightweight, packable canister of 95% pure oxygen that people can get without a prescription. But Forbes was quick to clarify that canned oxygen is not an over-the-counter version of what doctors prescribe, or what climbers use.

“(Canned oxygen) only provides a quick burst for a breath or two,” she said. “Which, unfortunately, is not enough to meaningfully affect your body’s actual oxygen content.”

Forbes reported that humans breathe about 5 to 8 liters of oxygen per minute even while resting. The regular size canister of Boost that I purchased holds only 5 liters of oxygen. According to Forbes, this is not enough to make a change of any length.

When it comes to improving aerobic performance, as Boost also suggests it might, Forbes said supplemental oxygen doesn’t do much for typical healthy adults. Unless you have any lung problems, your body will function equally well with or without it, even during extreme exercise.

And while professional athletes will sometimes use supplemental oxygen for recovery, Forbes again points to the size of the can and the quick-burst, single-breath delivery method. Actual supplemental oxygen is delivered continuously for minutes and hours through a tube into someone’s nose or through an oxygen mask covering their face.

“In general the use of oxygen can have some (positive) physiological effects. But, there is the same limit on how much oxygen you can get from the can.”

backpacker Contacted Boost to discuss the science behind their products, but never received a response.

criterion

After my conversation with Forbes, I put on my hiking shoes, put my can of Boost in a pack, and headed to the trail behind my house. Instead of testing the high altitude claims, I decided it would be more scientific to test the performance claims of Boost. I did not have time to climb the same high altitude peak twice (once with canned oxygen and once without). However, I did have time for my 4.3-mile round trip where I often hike and run. I thought this would give me a better control baseline to judge whether my air can is helping in any regard.

I took the first hit of Boost at the trailhead and started hiking.

On the climb, I hit that canister four or five times, paying close attention to my breathing rate, heart rate, stamina, and energy. However, if the canned oxygen was making a difference, I couldn’t really feel it. My hike felt exactly the same as it always does.

Upon landing, I thought I felt a difference at first. While running, I held the can in one hand and took deep breaths from time to time. For the first mile I felt my endurance was a little better than normal. However, I still started getting cramps at the same mile markers I usually do, and started feeling tired around the same time I usually do. This made me doubt those initial assumptions.

For what it’s worth, my heart rate (as recorded by my Coros watch) was also normal for the entire 4.3 miles. It was neither more nor less than when I had climbed that route the other day.

However, when I reached the bottom, my experiment took a turn. I was breathing heavily at the end of my race, as I normally do, and took three deep breaths from the oxygen can. Almost immediately I stopped breathing. My breathing suddenly became normal.

Maybe it didn’t improve my performance, but at least anecdotally, my immediate recovery seemed much faster with Boost.

(Also worth noting: I used the entire $10.90 on that hour-and-fifteen-minute hike.)

Last Word: Practical or Placebo?

After my experiment, I told Forbes about my recovery experience and asked for his thoughts. She said it was possible that I felt real effects.

He acknowledged, “Relaxing and taking those deep breaths, as well as supplementing the larger breaths with oxygen, can help you increase oxygen delivery momentarily, and get you back to your resting baseline a little quicker.”

Nevertheless, Forbes was not convinced that canned oxygen provided any significant benefits to hikers or other mountain athletes.

“To be quite frank, I think this is a well-marketed product that probably has more of a placebo effect than a real effect,” she said.

Placebo effects are not necessarily bad. If you use canned oxygen and really feel like it helps you, Forbes said there’s no harm in continuing to use it, with one caveat.

“I would strongly advise people not to have a false sense of security,” she said. Canned oxygen is not a medicine. If someone is experiencing real medical concerns at high altitude or due to shortness of breath, “I strongly advocate that they seek real medical care and not rely on a product that has limited efficacy to treat a real medical problem.”

For my part, I probably won’t be buying more canned air any time soon. Without scientific equipment to measure my blood oxygen levels, etc., I can’t tell if or how much of a difference it actually made. Anecdotally, if there was any effect, it was negligible.

At least for now, I’ll stick to the non-commercial oxygen I get for free every day.