Hydrogen Water Improves Exercise Performance in Healthy Adults
- Authors
- Tyler W. LeBaron, Abigail J. Larson, Shigeo Ohta, Toshio Mikami, Jordon Barlow, Josh Bulloch, Mark DeBeliso
- Journal
- Journal of Lifestyle Medicine
- Year
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.15280/jlm.2019.9.1.36
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- United States
- Health Condition
- Exercise Performance
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water (HRW) seems to help people maintain a lower heart rate during moderate exercise without affecting their maximum exercise abilities.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water supplementation reduced average heart rate and breathing rate during moderate-intensity exercise, but did not improve maximum exercise performance or oxygen utilization.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen-rich water (water infused with extra hydrogen molecules) could improve exercise performance in 19 healthy adults. Participants drank either hydrogen-rich water or a placebo drink on two separate occasions before exercising on a treadmill. While hydrogen-rich water didn't change maximum performance, it did lower heart rate and breathing rate during moderate-intensity exercise without affecting oxygen use.
Practical Takeaway
This small pilot study suggests hydrogen-rich water may help the body work more efficiently during moderate exercise by lowering heart rate, though the practical benefit remains unclear. The study was brief and involved only 19 people, so much larger and longer studies are needed before drawing firm conclusions about whether this effect matters for real-world fitness or health.
Abstract
Background: Clinical studies have reported hydrogen-rich water (HRW) to have therapeutic and ergogenic effects. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of acute supplementation with HRW on exercise performance as measured by VO2, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), heart rate (HR), and respiratory rate (RR). Methods: Baseline levels of all exercise indices were determined in nineteen (4 female, 23.4 ± 9.1 yr; 15 male, 30.5 ± 6.8 yr) healthy subjects using a graded treadmill exercise test to exhaustion. Each subject was examined two additional times in a randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover fashion. Subjects received either HRW or placebo, which was consumed the day before and the day of the testing. HRW was delivered using the hydrogen-producing tablets, DrinkHRW (5 mg of H2). All data was analyzed with SPSS using pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni adjustment. Results: HRW supplementation did not influence maximal or minimal indices of exercise performance (VO2, RER, HR and RR) (p < 0.05). However, HRW significantly decreased average exercising RR and HR (p < 0.05). HRW decreased exercising HR during minutes 1-9 of the graded exercise test (121 ± 26 bpm) compared to placebo (126 ± 26 bpm) and baseline (124 ± 27 bpm) (p < 0.001) without substantially influencing VO2. Conclusion: Acute supplementation of DrinkHRW tablets may benefit submaximal aerobic exercise performance by lowering exercising HR. Further studies are needed to determine the influence and practical significance of HRW on varying exercise intensities as well as optimal dosing protocols and the effects of chronic use.