Key result
Oxprenolol before rock climbing lowers heart rate by ~46 bpm vs placebo, preventing plasma adrenaline increases.
Why the study?
Does oxprenolol reduce heart rate and plasma catecholamine concentrations in healthy men during rock climbing?
Does oxprenolol reduce heart rate and plasma catecholamine concentrations in healthy men during rock climbing?
Absolute Event Rate: 120% vs 166%
Beta-blockade with oxprenolol blunts the heart rate and adrenaline response to rock climbing, suggesting the sport induces primarily psychological rather than physical stress.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Hypothesis-generating for psychological stress in climbing; should not change practice or guidelines without larger trials.
Williams et al. (1978) studied Healthy (n=11). Oxprenolol vs. Placebo was evaluated on Mean heart rate. Oxprenolol administered prior to rock climbing resulted in a lower mean heart rate (120 bpm) compared to placebo (166 bpm) and prevented significant increases in plasma adrenaline.
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