Hydrogen Supplements Show Mixed Effects on Exercise Performance
Application of Molecular Hydrogen as an Antioxidant in Responses to Ventilatory and Ergogenic Adjustments during Incremental Exercise in Humans
Research hubs: Respiratory System · Cardiovascular System
- Evidence type
- Randomized controlled trial · Human study
- Authors
- Ahad Abdulkarim D. Alharbi, Naoyuki Ebine, Satoshi Nakae, Tatsuya Hojo, Yoshiyuki Fukuoka
- Journal
- Nutrients
- Year
- 2021
- PMID
- 33573133
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 18
- Delivery
- Gas (Sustained Release)
- Dose
- 1500 mg/day H2-rich calcium powder for three consecutive days
- H₂ concentration
- 2.544 µg/day
- Duration
- 3 days
- Funding
- The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No. 18K10909 NE); The Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture of Japan (No. 19H04022 to Y.F.)
- Conflicts of interest
- Author N.E. has received a research grant from ENAGEGATE Inc., which supplied HCP supplements and placebo for the study.
- Outcome
- Neutral
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Supplementing with hydrogen-rich calcium powder appears to affect breathing patterns and the balance of oxygen delivery and use in muscles during intense exercise.
Key Finding
Hydrogen supplementation increased resting antioxidant potential but paradoxically reduced breathing during exercise, leading to lower blood pH and altered oxygen delivery to muscles without improving exercise performance.
Summary
Researchers gave 18 trained cyclists either hydrogen-enriched powder or placebo for three days, then had them exercise on stationary bikes at increasing intensity levels. While the hydrogen supplement increased antioxidant protection at rest, it unexpectedly caused participants to breathe less during exercise, which lowered blood pH (acidity) and altered how oxygen was delivered to and used by leg muscles. The hydrogen did not improve exercise performance or oxygen uptake.
Practical Takeaway
This small human study suggests that despite hydrogen's antioxidant properties, supplementation may not benefit exercise performance in trained individuals and could actually interfere with normal breathing responses during intense activity. The findings are limited to one study in trained cyclists and do not support hydrogen as an ergogenic (performance-enhancing) aid.
Abstract (excerpt)
We investigated effects of molecular hydrogen (H2) supplementation on acid-base status, pulmonary gas exchange responses, and local muscle oxygenation during incremental exercise. Eighteen healthy, trained subjects in a randomized, double-blind, crossover design received H2-rich calcium powder…