Hydrogen Water Reduced Lung Damage from Paraquat in Rats
Consumption of hydrogen water reduces paraquat-induced acute lung injury in rats
Research hubs: Respiratory System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Shulin Liu, Kan Liu, Qiang Sun, Wenwu Liu, Weigang Xu, Petar Denoble, Hengyi Tao, Xue-Jun Sun
- Journal
- BioMed Research International
- Year
- 2011
- PMID
- 21318114
- Study Type
- Rat
- Delivery
- Water (Dissolved)
- Dose
- hydrogen water consumption ad libitum
- H₂ concentration
- saturated
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 45 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Drinking water with high levels of dissolved hydrogen gas can reduce lung damage caused by exposure to the toxic chemical paraquat in rats.
Key Finding
Rats that consumed hydrogen water before paraquat exposure showed significantly reduced lung injury and oxidative damage compared to rats exposed to paraquat alone.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen water (regular water with dissolved hydrogen gas) could protect rats from lung damage caused by paraquat, a toxic chemical. Rats that drank hydrogen water and were exposed to paraquat showed less lung damage and fewer signs of oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules) compared to rats that only received paraquat. The hydrogen water appeared to reduce the chemical and tissue changes that paraquat caused in the lungs.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting hydrogen water may help protect against paraquat-induced lung damage, but it cannot yet tell us whether this would work in humans. Much more research, including human clinical trials, would be needed before hydrogen water could be considered a treatment for paraquat poisoning or acute lung injury in people.
Abstract (excerpt)
Exposure to paraquat leads to acute lung injury and oxidative stress is widely accepted as a contributor to paraquat-induced acute lung injury. Recent studies have reported that consumption of water with dissolved molecular hydrogen to a saturated level (hydrogen water) prevents oxidative…