Hydrogen Water Shows Promise for Parkinson's Disease Symptoms
- Authors
- Asako Yoritaka, Takashi Abe, Chigumi Ohtsuka, Tetsuya Maeda, Masaaki Hirayama, Hirohisa Watanabe, Hidemoto Saiki, Genko Oyama, Jiro Fukae, Yasushi Shimo, Taku Hatano, Sumihiro Kawajiri, Yasuyuki Okuma, Yutaka Machida, Hideto Miwa, Chikako Suzuki, Asuka Kazama, Masahiko Tomiyama, Takeshi Kihara, Motoyuki Hirasawa, Hideki Shimura, Nobutaka Hattori
- Journal
- BMC Neurology
- Year
- 2016
- DOI
- 10.1186/s12883-016-0589-0
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Neutral
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Parkinson's Disease
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
This study is testing whether drinking hydrogen-rich water can help improve symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients over a 72-week period.
Key Finding
This is a protocol paper describing a planned trial, not a completed study—results are not yet available. The study will test whether 1000 mL/day of hydrogen water can improve Parkinson's disease symptoms over 72 weeks in 178 participants across 14 hospitals.
Summary
This study is testing whether drinking hydrogen water (water with dissolved hydrogen gas added to it) can help improve symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease. Researchers will have 178 participants drink either 1000 mL per day of hydrogen water or regular water for up to 72 weeks, and measure changes in their Parkinson's symptoms using a standard rating scale. A previous smaller study suggested hydrogen water might help, so this larger multi-center trial aims to confirm whether that result holds true.
Practical Takeaway
This is an ongoing clinical trial, so there are no results yet to interpret. Once completed, this large, well-designed study may provide clearer evidence about whether hydrogen water could help Parkinson's symptoms, though the results will need to be published and reviewed before any recommendations can be made. Anyone with Parkinson's disease interested in this research should discuss it with their neurologist rather than self-treating.
Abstract
Background: Our previous randomized double-blind study showed that drinking hydrogen (H2) water for 48 weeks significantly improved the total Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients treated with levodopa. We aim to confirm this result using a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled multi-center trial. Methods: Changes in the total UPDRS scores from baseline to the 8(th), 24(th), 48(th), and 72(nd) weeks, and after the 8(th) week, will be evaluated. The primary endpoint of the efficacy of this treatment in PD is the change in the total UPDRS score from baseline to the 72(nd) week. The changes in UPDRS part II, UPDRS part III, each UPDRS score, PD Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), and the modified Hoehn and Yahr stage at these same time-points, as well as the duration until the protocol is finished because additional levodopa is required or until the disease progresses, will also be analyzed. Adverse events and screening laboratory studies will also be examined. Participants in the hydrogen water group will drink 1000 mL/day of H2 water, and those in the placebo water group will drink normal water. One-hundred-and-seventy-eight participants with PD (88 women, 90 men; mean age: 64.2 [SD 9.2] years, total UPDRS: 23.7 [11.8], with levodopa medication: 154 participants, without levodopa medication: 24 participants; daily levodopa dose: 344.1 [202.8] mg, total levodopa equivalent dose: 592.0 [317.6] mg) were enrolled in 14 hospitals and were randomized. Discussion: This study will confirm whether H2 water can improve PD symptoms.