Hydrogen Gas Helps Brain Recovery After Injury in Diabetic Rats
Effects of a high concentration of hydrogen on neurological function after traumatic brain injury in diabetic rats
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System · Endocrine System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Ting-Ting Li, Wan-Chao Yang, Yue-Zhen Wang, Tian Sun, Hong-Ling Cao, Jian-Feng Chen, Wen-Zhi Li
- Journal
- Brain Research
- Year
- 2020
- PMID
- 31926128
- Study Type
- Rat
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- 42% H2 for one hour per day for 7 days
- H₂ concentration
- 42% H2 gas
- Duration
- 1 weeks
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 18 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Breathing in high levels of hydrogen gas can help improve brain function and reduce damage after a traumatic brain injury in diabetic rats.
Key Finding
High-concentration hydrogen gas (42%) significantly improved neurological outcomes and reduced brain damage markers in diabetic rats with traumatic brain injury, while low-concentration hydrogen (3%) showed no benefit.
Summary
Researchers studied whether inhaled hydrogen gas could help rats with both diabetes and traumatic brain injury (a severe head injury). They tested two different concentrations of hydrogen gas and found that high-concentration hydrogen (42%) reduced brain swelling, decreased harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species, and improved neurological function, while low-concentration hydrogen (3%) had no significant effect.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting that high-concentration hydrogen gas inhalation may help with brain injury recovery in diabetic individuals, but the findings cannot yet be applied to humans. Much more research, including human clinical trials, would be needed before this could be considered a viable treatment approach.
Abstract (excerpt)
Reactive oxygen species, inflammation, and apoptosis are major contributors to secondary injuries that follow traumatic brain injury (TBI) in diabetic patients. Hydrogen (H2) can selectively neutralize reactive oxygen species and downregulate inflammatory and apoptotic factors. Therefore, we…