Hydrogen Water Boosts Muscle Endurance in Athletes by 11%
Effects of 8 days intake of hydrogen-rich water on muscular endurance performance and fatigue recovery during resistance training
Research hubs: Oxidative Stress · Cardiovascular System
- Evidence type
- Randomized controlled trial · Human study
- Authors
- Kaixiang Zhou, Chaoqun Yuan, Zhangyuting Shang, Wenhui Jiao, Yubo Wang
- Journal
- Frontiers in Physiology
- Year
- 2024
- PMID
- 39434721
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 18
- Delivery
- Water (Electrolysis)
- Dose
- 1,920 mL hydrogen-rich water daily for 7 days plus 1,260 mL on training day (210 mL at 30 min before training, 210 mL at 1 min before training, 210 mL between sets, 210 mL immediately after training, 420 mL at 30 min into recovery)
- Duration
- 8 days
- Funding
- Foundation Program of Chongqing Normal University (24XWB003)
- Conflicts of interest
- None declared
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 7 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water (HRW) improved the muscular endurance of trained men during resistance training compared to drinking regular water.
Key Finding
Trained men who consumed hydrogen-rich water for 8 days completed significantly more repetitions (78.2 vs 70.3) and produced more total power output during resistance training compared to those who drank plain water.
Summary
This study tested whether drinking hydrogen-rich water for 8 days could help trained men perform better during weightlifting and recover faster afterward. Eighteen young men drank either hydrogen-rich water or plain water while doing half-squat exercises to exhaustion. Those who drank hydrogen-rich water completed more repetitions and generated more total power output. However, hydrogen-rich water did not improve recovery markers like jump height, perceived recovery quality, or muscle soreness in the 48 hours after training.
Practical Takeaway
This small study in trained young men suggests hydrogen-rich water may provide a modest boost to muscular endurance during a single workout session. However, it did not help with recovery from soreness or fatigue, and results are limited to this specific population and training protocol—findings may not apply to untrained individuals or other types of exercise.
Abstract (excerpt)
BackgroundExercise-induced oxidative stress and inflammation can impair muscular function in humans. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of molecular hydrogen (H2) highlight its potential to be as an effective nutritional supplement to support muscular function performance in healthy…