Electrolyzed Water Shows Health Benefits in Mice Study
- Authors
- Zhifang Shi, Lei Xi, ShuiLin Gao, ZhengYang Shi, XiaoTong Wang, Zhangying Ye, Pu Cheng
- Journal
- Nature Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-025-91614-8
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Digestive Health
- Body System
- Digestive
TL;DR
Adding slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) to drinking water was found to be safe for mice and even improved their antioxidant levels and digestive health.
Key Finding
Slightly acidic electrolyzed water at low concentrations did not harm mice and appeared to enhance their antioxidant defenses, glucose metabolism, and digestive enzyme activity.
Summary
Researchers gave mice drinking water treated with slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW)—a disinfectant that might accidentally be ingested through food and water—at two different concentrations for 60 days. The mice drinking SAEW showed no negative effects on growth or blood health, but did show improvements in antioxidant enzymes (proteins that protect cells from damage), glucose metabolism (how the body uses sugar), and digestive enzyme activity. The small intestine also developed better in mice drinking SAEW.
Practical Takeaway
This is an animal study in mice, so results may not directly apply to humans. While the findings suggest SAEW may be safe at low concentrations and could potentially support digestive and metabolic function, human studies would be needed to determine if these benefits translate to people. The study does not address hydrogen water specifically, but rather a disinfectant treatment applied to water.
Abstract
Slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) as a disinfectant might be ingested by humans and animals along with food and drinking water. The present study explored whether adding SAEW to drinking water affects the drinking water intake, food intake, body weight, intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activity, and antioxidant enzyme activity of mice. This will provide a theoretical basis for the biosafety of SAEW as a food and drinking water disinfectant. The present study selected and randomly divided 96 4-week-old Kunming mice into three groups: control, 0.5 mg/L SAEW, and 5.0 mg/L SAEW groups. The experiment lasted 60 days. The present study showed that drinking SAEW had no noticeable effect on the food intake, water intake, body weight, and blood biochemical indexes of mice. SAEW significantly increased the plasma superoxide dismutase inhibition rate, glutathione content, and total antioxidant capacity of mice (p < 0.05). The fructose-6-phosphate kinase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, and malate dehydrogenase activities of mice in the SAEW group were significantly increased. Furthermore, SAEW promoted the morphological development of the small intestine and increased the activities of amylase, lipase, and protease. Therefore, the 0.5 and 5.0 mg/L SAEW was beneficial for mice, and improved the body's antioxidative, glucose-metabolizing, and digestive ability.