Hydrogen Water and Bone Material Enhanced Bone Healing in Rats
Bone regeneration is enhanced by the combined use of acid‐electrolyzed functional water with hydroxyapatite/collagen composite
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Yasumasa Ozawa, Takahiro Gojoubori, Hirotaka Ota, Tomoko Takemoto, Hisashi Suguro, Tetsuya Nishida, Shuuichi Satou, Masatake Asano
- Journal
- Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B Applied Biomaterials
- Year
- 2019
- PMID
- 31820853
- Study Type
- Rat
- Delivery
- Water (Electrolysis)
- Duration
- 6 weeks
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 7 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Washing bone injuries with a special water and filling them with a bone-like material helps rats heal their bones faster and stronger.
Key Finding
In rats with bone defects, combining acid-electrolyzed functional water with hydroxyapatite/collagen composite increased new bone volume by nearly 4-fold and bone mineral density by more than 2-fold compared to untreated controls.
Summary
Researchers tested whether acid-electrolyzed functional water (a type of water created through electrolysis) combined with a bone-like material called hydroxyapatite/collagen could improve bone healing in rats with skull defects. After 6 weeks, rats treated with both the functional water and the composite material showed significantly more new bone growth and stronger bone density compared to untreated controls, possibly because the functional water triggered the release of healing factors.
Practical Takeaway
This is an animal-only study using a specialized surgical application (bone defect irrigation), so findings cannot be directly applied to drinking hydrogen water or general health. While the results suggest acid-electrolyzed water may support bone regeneration in specific medical contexts, much more research—including human studies—would be needed before any clinical recommendations could be made.
Abstract (excerpt)
Hydroxyapatite/collagen (HAP/Col) composite has a nanostructure and composition similar to that of natural bone. Herein, we have evaluated the beneficial effects of acid‐electrolyzed functional water (FW) in combination with HAP/Col composite as an irrigation material in a rat calvarium defect…