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Dr. Dave Hnida: Patriots Arriving Day Early Won't Help Them Adjust To Altitude

DENVER (CBS4) - The New England Patriots arrived in Denver Friday evening, a day earlier than most opponents typically arrive in Denver. The Pats are hoping the extra 24 hours will help adjust to the altitude. CBS4 Medical Editor Dr. Dave Hnida doesn't think the extra day will help much.

"A couple of things to think about: does altitude affect football players, and if it does, will extra oxygen help?" Hnida said.

RELATED: Read Dr. Dave Hnida's Blog Entry: Altitude-Gate? Patriots Early Landing Won't Give Them An Oxygen Edge

There has been a lot of research done on those questions and Hnida broke it down.

"Because football is a stop-and-go sport, playing at mile-high altitude has very little effect on your speed, stamina and endurance. It's the same for basketball or hockey. Now, running a marathon is a different story since that's continuous exertion," Hnida said. "How about coming into town a couple of days early to get acclimated? I don't think so. The magic number where early arrival might help is 7,500 feet. That's why we tell out-of-town skiers to hang out in Denver for a couple of days before heading to the hills to lessen the risk of altitude sickness."

Patriots at DIA
The New England Patriots arrive at Denver International Airport (credit: CBS)

Hnida said bodies do make some adjustments when people move to Denver and stay.

"Your body manufactures more blood cells, but that takes three weeks, not two to three days."

Sucking down oxygen on the sideline does not give players a boost for the next series of play, according to Hnida.

"Why? Because your blood cells can only handle a certain amount of oxygen, and that's what you breathe in. Extra oxygen from a tank just goes back into the mask and is wasted."

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