Does hydrogen water improve athletic performance?

Research shows hydrogen water provides mixed benefits for athletic performance. It significantly improves explosive power and reduces fatigue during exercise, but does not enhance endurance or overall muscular strength in healthy adults.

What athletic benefits does hydrogen water provide?

Hydrogen water supplementation improves lower limb explosive power, reduces perceived exertion during exercise, and enhances blood lactate clearance for better recovery. However, it doesn't improve aerobic or anaerobic endurance or muscular strength.

How does molecular hydrogen help with exercise?

Molecular hydrogen acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that may reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress. This helps decrease fatigue and improve recovery, particularly benefiting explosive movements and power output.

Is hydrogen water safe for athletes?

The studies analyzed showed no adverse effects from hydrogen water supplementation in healthy adults. However, athletes should consult healthcare providers before adding any new supplements to their training regimen.

Should endurance athletes use hydrogen water?

Based on this research, hydrogen water may not significantly benefit endurance athletes since it showed no improvements in aerobic or anaerobic endurance performance. It appears more beneficial for activities requiring explosive power.

Hydrogen Water Boosts Athletic Power But Not Endurance, Study Shows

Authors: Kaixiang Zhou, Zhangyuting Shang, Chaoqun Yuan, Zhenxiang Guo, Yubo Wang, Dapeng Bao, Junhong Zhou
Journal: Frontiers in Nutrition
Year: 2024
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1387657
Study Type: clinical
Peer Reviewed: Yes
Country: China
Health Condition: Exercise-Induced Fatigue
Body System: Muscular System

TL;DR

Scientists looked at whether drinking or taking molecular hydrogen could help people exercise better, and found it only really helps with explosive leg power (like jumping) and makes exercise feel less exhausting—but it doesn't actually boost endurance, strength, or overall aerobic fitness.

Key Finding

Molecular hydrogen supplementation showed a small but statistically significant improvement in lower limb explosive power and reduced perceived fatigue during exercise, but did not enhance aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, or muscular strength in healthy adults.

Summary

Researchers analyzed 27 studies involving 597 healthy adults to see whether molecular hydrogen (H₂) supplementation could improve physical performance. They found that H₂ had a small positive effect on lower limb explosive power (like jumping ability) and reduced how hard exercise felt, but it did not meaningfully improve aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance (short bursts of intense effort), or muscular strength.

Practical Takeaway

If you're interested in hydrogen water for athletic performance, early evidence suggests it may modestly help with explosive movements like jumping and reduce how tired you feel during exercise. However, the benefits appear limited to these specific areas—it does not appear to boost overall endurance or strength. The studies analyzed were relatively small and varied in design, so more rigorous research is needed before drawing firm conclusions.

Abstract

Background: Physical exertion during exercise often leads to increased oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, significantly affecting physical performance. Current strategies to mitigate these effects are limited by their effectiveness and potential side effects. Molecular hydrogen (H₂) has gained attention for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have suggested that H2 supplementation contributes to antioxidant potential and anti-fatigue during exercise, but the variance in the observations and study protocols is presented across those studies. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively characterize the effects of H₂ supplementation on physical performance (i.e., endurance, muscular strength, and explosive power), providing knowledge that can inform strategies using H2 for enhancing physical performance. Methods: We conducted a literature search of six databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Sport-Discus, Embase, and PsycINFO) according to the PRISMA guidelines. The data were extracted from the included studies and converted into the standardized mean difference (SMD). After that, we performed random-effects meta-analyses and used the I 2 statistic to evaluate heterogeneity. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to assess the quality of the evidence obtained from this meta-analysis. Results: In total, 27 publications consisting of 597 participants were included. The search finally included aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, muscular strength, lower limb explosive power, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), blood lactate (BLA), and average heart rate (HRavg) in the effect size (ES) synthesis. The ES of H2 on aerobic endurance, including V̇O2max (SMD = 0.09, p = 0.394; I 2 = 0%) and aerobic endurance exercise (SMD = 0.04, p = 0.687; I 2 = 0%), were not significant and trivial; the ES of H2 on 30 s maximal anaerobic endurance (SMD = 0.19, p = 0.239; I 2 = 0%) was not significant and trivial; the ES of H2 on muscular strength (SMD = 0.19, p = 0.265; I 2 = 0%) was not significant and trivial; but the ES of H2 on lower limb explosive power (SMD = 0.30, p = 0.018; I 2 = 0%) was significant and small. In addition, H2 reduces RPE (SMD = -0.37, p = 0.009; I 2 = 58.0%) and BLA (SMD = -0.37, p = 0.001; I 2 = 22.0%) during exercise, but not HRavg (SMD = -0.27, p = 0.094; I 2 = 0%). Conclusion: These findings suggest that H2 supplementation is favorable in healthy adults to improve lower limb explosive power, alleviate fatigue, and boost BLA clearance, but may not be effectively improving aerobic and anaerobic endurance and muscular strength. Future studies with more rigorous designs are thus needed to examine and confirm the effects of H2 on these important functionalities in humans. Systematic review registration: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO.