Hydrogen Water May Reduce Parkinson's-Like Symptoms in Rats
Drinking hydrogen water and intermittent hydrogen gas exposure, but not lactulose or continuous hydrogen gas exposure, prevent 6-hydorxydopamine-induced Parkinson’s disease in rats
Research hubs: Parkinson's Disease · Brain & Nervous System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Mikako Ito, Masaaki Hirayama, Kazuaki Yamai, Sae Goto, Masafumi Ito, Masatoshi Ichihara, Kinji Ohno
- Journal
- Medical Gas Research
- Year
- 2012
- PMID
- 22608009
- Study Type
- Rat
- Participants
- 28
- Delivery
- Water (Electrolysis)
- Dose
- Hydrogen water ad libitum; 2% hydrogen gas continuous and intermittent administration
- H₂ concentration
- 2% H2 gas
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 110 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Intermittent breathing of hydrogen gas, rather than continuous exposure or lactulose treatment, was effective in preventing Parkinson's disease in rats.
Key Finding
In rats with chemically-induced Parkinson's disease, intermittent hydrogen gas exposure and hydrogen water prevented disease development, while continuous hydrogen gas and lactulose-induced hydrogen production showed only marginal protective effects.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen could protect rats from a chemical that causes Parkinson's disease-like symptoms. They compared three ways of getting hydrogen into the body: drinking hydrogen water, taking a supplement (lactulose) that causes bacteria to produce hydrogen in the gut, and breathing hydrogen gas either continuously or in short bursts. Hydrogen water and intermittent hydrogen gas exposure prevented the disease in most rats, while the other methods had only weak effects, suggesting that how hydrogen is delivered matters more than the total amount produced.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests that the timing and delivery method of hydrogen may be important for potential neuroprotective effects, rather than simply producing more hydrogen. However, this is early animal research only—human studies are needed before any conclusions can be drawn about hydrogen water's effects on Parkinson's disease in people.
Abstract (excerpt)
Lactulose is a synthetic disaccharide that can be catalyzed only by intestinal bacteria in humans and rodents, and a large amount of hydrogen is produced by bacterial catalysis of lactulose. We previously reported marked effects of ad libitum administration of hydrogen water on prevention of a rat…