Hydrogen Water Protects Brain Through Stomach Hormone Release
- Authors
- Mami Noda, Yuya Uemura, Yusuke Yoshii, Taichi Horita, Shota Takemi, Ichiro Sakata, Takafumi Sakai
- Journal
- Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
- Year
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.1139/cjpp-2019-0098
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Parkinson's Disease
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Scientists found that drinking hydrogen water protects your brain and nerves from damage, but not just by the hydrogen itself—instead, the hydrogen tells your stomach to make more of a chemical called ghrelin that travels through your blood to your brain and helps keep nerve cells healthy. This discovery means hydrogen water might be a simple way to prevent or treat brain diseases like Parkinson's disease.
Key Finding
Molecular hydrogen provides neuroprotection primarily through an indirect signaling mechanism: H2 stimulates ghrelin production in the stomach, and this circulating ghrelin crosses into the brain to activate protective pathways, rather than through direct antioxidative effects alone.
Summary
Researchers discovered that molecular hydrogen (H2) protects nerve cells not just by directly fighting harmful molecules called free radicals, but also through an indirect pathway. When H2 is consumed in drinking water, it triggers the stomach to produce and release a hormone called ghrelin, which travels through the bloodstream to the brain and activates protective mechanisms. This suggests that drinking H2 water before nerve injury occurs (called preconditioning) may help prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease.
Practical Takeaway
This research suggests that H2 water may have preventive potential for nerve-related diseases through a ghrelin-mediated mechanism, but these findings are based on animal studies and laboratory work, not human trials. The preconditioning approach (consuming H2 water before injury occurs) shows promise in animal models, but much more research is needed before any recommendations can be made for human use.
Abstract
Molecular hydrogen (H2) showed protection against various kinds of oxidative-stress-related diseases. First, it was reported that the mechanism of therapeutic effects of H2 was antioxidative effect due to inhibition of the most cytotoxic reactive oxygen species, hydroxy radical (•OH). However, after chronic administration of H2 in drinking water, oxidative-stress-induced nerve injury is significantly attenuated even in the absence of H2. It suggests indirect signaling of H2 and gastrointestinal tract is involved. Indirect effects of H2 could be tested by giving H2 water only before nerve injury, as preconditioning. For example, preconditioning of H2 for certain a period (∼7 days) in Parkinson's disease model mice shows significant neuroprotection. As the mechanism of indirect effect, H2 in drinking water induces ghrelin production and release from the stomach via β1-adrenergic receptor stimulation. Released ghrelin circulates in the body, being transported across the blood-brain barrier, activates its receptor, growth-hormone secretagogue receptor. H2-induced upregulation of ghrelin mRNA is also shown in ghrelin-producing cell line, SG-1. These observations help with understanding the chronic effects of H2 and raise intriguing preventive and therapeutic options using H2.