Hydrogen Water Helps Reduce Heart Pain in Unstable Angina Patients
- Authors
- Yanhong Si, Hua Tian, Bingqing Dong, Ying Zhang, Yuanyuan Wen, Xiubin Jia, Ying Li, Aihua Zhang, Shucun Qin
- Journal
- Experimental Biology and Medicine
- Year
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.1177/15353702211009138
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Unstable Angina
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water may help reduce heart-related chest pain and improve cholesterol levels in people with unstable angina.
Key Finding
Patients with unstable angina who consumed 1000-1200 mL of hydrogen-rich water daily for three months experienced greater relief of angina symptoms and more significant reductions in cholesterol markers compared to those receiving conventional treatment alone.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen-rich water could help people with unstable angina (chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart). In lab tests, hydrogen reduced oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules) and inflammation in blood vessel cells. In a clinical trial, 40 patients with unstable angina drank either hydrogen-rich water or regular water daily for three months, along with their regular medications. Those drinking hydrogen-rich water reported fewer angina symptoms and had greater reductions in cholesterol levels compared to the control group.
Practical Takeaway
This small clinical trial suggests hydrogen-rich water may support conventional angina treatment, but the study has limitations: the sample size was not reported, the duration details are unclear, and it's not known how long benefits lasted after stopping. Anyone with unstable angina should discuss hydrogen-rich water only as a potential complement to—not replacement for—their prescribed medications and medical care.
Abstract
Oxidative stress and inflammation are closely related to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. It is established that hydrogen has significant protective effects on many diseases as a potential antioxidative and anti-inflammatory agent. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of hydrogen on unstable angina in vitro and in vivo. An atherosclerosis model in vitro was constructed by ox-LDL-induced injury of human umbilical vein endothelial cells and in vitro testing indicated hydrogen inhibited ox-LDL-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory response by down-regulating LOX-1/NF-kB signaling pathway. Subsequently, the attenuating effect of hydrogen-rich water intake on unstable angina was further confirmed in clinic. Forty hospitalized subjects with unstable angina were enrolled and consumed either 1000-1200 mL/d hydrogen-rich water or the same amount of placebo pure water in addition to conventional drugs for three months. Clinical analysis showed hydrogen-rich water intake relieved angina symptoms in unstable angina patients. Serum analysis showed that hydrogen-rich water addition resulted in more effective reductions of total-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B levels compared with conventional treatment. These results support that hydrogen as adjuvant treatment has a beneficial effect on unstable angina.