Hydrogen-Rich Water Improves Blood Sugar in Diabetes Patients
- Authors
- Z. Gadek, S. Shirahata
- Journal
- Animal Cell Technology: Basic & Applied Aspects
- Year
- 2002
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-94-017-0728-2_74
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Germany
- Health Condition
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Body System
- Endocrine
TL;DR
Drinking special 'reduced water' from a spring in an old tunnel in Nordenau, Germany, appeared to help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes who stayed there for about 11 days.
Key Finding
Patients who spent 10.7 days consuming hydrogen-rich spring water showed statistically significant improvements in blood glucose and HbA1c levels, a marker of long-term blood sugar control in diabetes.
Summary
Researchers studied 101 diabetes patients who visited Nordenau, Germany, known for an underground spring with special water properties. Patients either stayed for 3 days or about 11 days, drinking 2 liters of spring water daily and walking through a tunnel twice daily. The spring water is described as 'reduced water' (water with added hydrogen molecules). Blood sugar and HbA1c levels (a measure of long-term blood sugar control) improved significantly in the longer-stay group, while cholesterol levels showed only minor changes.
Practical Takeaway
While this study suggests hydrogen-rich water may support blood sugar control in diabetic patients, it has important limitations: there was no control group (patients not drinking the water), the stay involved multiple factors beyond water consumption (tunnel visits, location change), and the sample size and study design were modest. More rigorous research with proper controls is needed before drawing firm conclusions about hydrogen water's effectiveness for diabetes management.
Abstract
The study examined changes in the test parameters of 101 diabetes patients (56 female, 45 male) under the influence of what is known as the “Nordenau Phenomenon”, which attributes a healing effect to an old slate tunnel with an underground spring. The average age of the test persons was 67,9 years; the average duration of their stay in Nordenau was 3 days for group 1 (61 patients), respectively 10,7 days for group 2 (40 patients) taking two tunnel walks of 30 minutes each and consuming two litres of water daily. The spring water was considered to be a possible active substance, as it possesses the quality of ‘reduced water’. The diagnostic parameters of blood sugar, HbAlc, Chol., HDL, LDL and Trigl. were tested twice — at the beginning and at the end of the participants’ stay in Nordenau. The survey pointed to a significant improvement with regard to blood sugar and HbAlc in group 2. The counts of Chol., HDL, LDL and Trigl. showed only slight improvements below statistical significance. In view of the fact that the ‘reduced water’ shows “in vitro” an effect on the glucose absorption by muscle- and fat cells similar to that of insulin — an effect which can be reproduced in animal experiments from Shirahata — the results of this study seem to have sufficient correlation with those of basic research to be worthy of serious consideration.