Hydrogen for Athletic Performance & Recovery

Research Studies

• Hydrogen Water Boosts Swimming Performance in Elite Athletes (2026) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water Boosts Athletic Power But Not Endurance, Study Shows (2024)
• Hydrogen Gas Boosts Sprint Performance and Reduces Exercise Fatigue (2024) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water Boosts Endurance Performance in Athletes (2023) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water Doesn't Boost Running Performance in Athletes (2022) — Neutral
• Hydrogen Supplement Boosts High-Intensity Exercise Performance (2022) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water Boosts Exercise Performance in Rats by Improving Cell Energy (2022) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water Boosts Sprint Performance in Soccer Players (2022) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water Boosts Athletic Performance in Trained Cyclists (2021) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water Shows Mixed Results for Athletic Performance (2020) — Neutral
• Hydrogen Water Reduces Muscle Fatigue in Athletes After Workouts (2020) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water Doesn't Boost Running Performance in Trained Athletes (2020) — Neutral
• Hydrogen Water Improves Exercise Performance and Reduces Fatigue (2019) — Positive
• Breathing Hydrogen Gas Improves Running Performance in Athletes (2019) — Positive
• Alkaline Water Boosts Athletic Performance in Basketball Players (2018) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water Boosts Athletic Performance in Repeated Sprint Cycling (2018) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water Reduces Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress in Athletes (2018) — Positive
• Medical Gases Show Promise for Athletic Performance and Recovery (2018)
• Hydrogen Water Reduces Exercise Damage in Athletes (2017) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water Helps Female Athletes Recover Faster After Exercise (2016) — Positive
• Hydrogen Water May Reduce Exercise Stress in Racehorses (2013) — Positive
• Alkaline Water Reduces Exercise Damage in Athletes After Intense Training (2012) — Positive
• Special Alkaline Drink Boosts Exercise Performance in Athletes (2011) — Positive

Frequently Asked Questions

Does hydrogen water improve athletic performance?

Not for most measures. Two meta-analyses of small randomized trials in healthy adults (402 and 597 participants) found hydrogen made exercise feel slightly easier and lowered blood lactate a little, but it didn't improve VO2max, endurance or strength. The one gain was small, in jumping power. Most trials were small and short.

How does hydrogen water help with recovery?

The evidence is limited. A few small crossover trials found slightly less muscle soreness or lower creatine kinase, a muscle-damage marker, after hard exercise, while other trials found no difference. The individual studies are on our exercise recovery research hub.

How much hydrogen water did exercise studies use?

Doses varied widely. In the pooled trials, drinking water held 0.5 to 5.9 ppm hydrogen, often taken as a single drink shortly before exercise or daily for up to two weeks, and inhaled gas ranged from 1% to 68% hydrogen. In one trial, trained runners drank 1,260 mL in four servings over the two hours before a run, and their time to exhaustion didn't improve. No trial compared doses, so there's no evidence-based amount.

Is hydrogen water better than plain water for hydration?

There's no evidence that it is. Hydrogen water is ordinary water with a few milligrams of dissolved hydrogen per liter at most, and it adds no electrolytes or carbohydrate. In most exercise trials the comparison was the same water without hydrogen, and the differences were limited to slightly lower effort ratings and blood lactate, not better endurance or strength.

Is hydrogen water safe for athletes?

No serious problems have been reported in exercise trials, but many didn't describe how they checked for side effects, and most lasted from a single session to two weeks. In other trials of drinking hydrogen water, reported side effects were mild, such as loose stools or heartburn. Magnesium-based tablets add magnesium; for adults, the upper limit for magnesium from supplements is 350 mg a day.