Hydrogen Water Boosts Athletic Performance in Repeated Sprint Cycling
- Authors
- Alessandro Da Ponte, Nicola Giovanelli, Daniele Nigris, Stefano Lazzer
- Journal
- The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.23736/S0022-4707.17.06883-9
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Italy
- Health Condition
- Exercise Fatigue
- Body System
- Muscular
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water for two weeks helped trained cyclists maintain their peak power output during a series of intense sprints, unlike those who drank regular water.
Key Finding
Two weeks of hydrogen-rich water intake preserved peak power output during repeated sprints in trained cyclists, while placebo water showed significant power decrements during later sprints.
Summary
This study tested whether drinking hydrogen-rich water for two weeks could help trained cyclists perform better during repeated hard sprints. Eight male cyclists drank either regular water or hydrogen-rich water daily, then completed a 30-minute cycling test with ten sprint intervals. The cyclists who drank hydrogen-rich water maintained their peak power output throughout the sprints, while those drinking regular water showed a significant drop in power during the 8th and 9th sprints.
Practical Takeaway
This small study in trained athletes suggests hydrogen-rich water may help maintain sprint performance during prolonged exercise, though the mechanism remains unclear and results are limited to eight highly trained cyclists. Larger studies in diverse populations would be needed to determine if these findings apply more broadly.
Abstract (excerpt)
Background: Recent studies showed a positive effect of Hydrogen Rich Water (HRW) intake on acid-basic homeostasis at rest. We investigated 2-weeks of HRW intake on repeated sprint performance and acid-base status during prolonged intermittent cycling exercise. Methods: In a cross over single-blind…