Hydrogen Baths Reduce Muscle Soreness After Exercise
- Authors
- Takuji Kawamura, Yuko Gando, Masaki Takahashi, Reira Hara, Katsuhiko Suzuki, Isao Muraoka
- Journal
- Japanese Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine
- Year
- 2016
- DOI
- 10.7600/jspfsm.65.297
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness
- Body System
- Musculoskeletal
TL;DR
Taking a hydrogen bath after exercise may help reduce muscle soreness but doesn't seem to prevent exercise-induced muscle damage or stress.
Key Finding
Hydrogen bathing significantly reduced delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) at 1-2 days after downhill running, but did not reduce markers of oxidative stress or muscle damage in the blood.
Summary
This study tested whether bathing in hydrogen-enriched water could reduce muscle soreness and oxidative stress (cellular damage from intense exercise) after a challenging downhill running workout. Nine young men either bathed in hydrogen water or regular water for 20 minutes on days 1-6 after the run, while researchers measured muscle soreness, blood markers of damage, and oxidative stress. Hydrogen bathing reduced muscle soreness on days 1 and 2 after exercise, but did not reduce the biological markers of muscle damage or oxidative stress.
Practical Takeaway
This small study (9 participants) suggests hydrogen bathing may help with post-exercise muscle soreness sensations in the short term, though the mechanism remains unclear since it didn't reduce the typical biological markers of muscle damage. The findings are preliminary and limited to young, active men; larger studies are needed before drawing conclusions about whether hydrogen bathing is effective for exercise recovery in broader populations.
Abstract
Several studies have reported that molecular hydrogen (H2) acts as a therapeutic medical gas owing to scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, little is known about effects of H2 on exercise-induced oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of weekly hydrogen bathing on exercise-induced oxidative stress and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Nine healthy and active young men participated in this study, and each subject performed hydrogen bathing trial and placebo bathing trial in a crossover design. The subjects performed downhill running (8 % decline) at 75 % peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) for 30 min, and each subjects conducted hydrogen or placebo bathing for 20 min, respectively, 1-6 days after downhill running. Before and after exercise, we measured visual analogue scale (VAS) and collected blood samples (Pre- and 5 min, 60 min after the end of bathing, 1day, 2days, 3days, 7days after downhill running). Blood sample analyses include creatine kinase (CK), myoglobin (Mb), malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs), biological antioxidant potential (BAP), myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-17a (IL-17a) and lactate concentrations. Weekly hydrogen bathing had no effects of exercise-induced oxidative stress and muscle damage. On the other hand, hydrogen bathing significantly reduced DOMS (VAS) 1 and 2days after downhill running (p=0.033). These findings suggest that hydrogen bath after downhill exercise can be effective for reduction of DOMS.