Hydrogen Water Gargling Eases Mouth Sores and Pain in Cancer Patients
- Authors
- Hui-Ting Tsai, Chih-Jen Huang, Hui-Ching Wang, Sheng-Dean Luo, Kun-Ming Rau, Pi-Ling Chou
- Journal
- Integrative Cancer Therapies
- Year
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1177/15347354261463550
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Taiwan
- Health Condition
- Oral Mucositis
- Body System
- Oral and Dental
TL;DR
Hydrogen-water gargling reduced oral mucositis, pain, and quality-of-life burden in head and neck cancer patients receiving radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy.
Key Finding
Head and neck cancer patients who gargled with hydrogen water experienced significant reductions in radiation-induced oral sores and pain by day 14, along with improvements in quality of life, compared to those who gargled with distilled water.
Summary
This study tested whether gargling with hydrogen water could help head and neck cancer patients manage side effects from radiation treatment. Patients were randomly assigned to gargle with either hydrogen water or regular distilled water, and researchers measured oral sores (mucositis), pain, and quality of life over two weeks. The hydrogen water group showed significant improvements in oral sore severity and pain by day 14, and reported better quality of life compared to the control group.
Practical Takeaway
This pilot study suggests hydrogen water gargling may help manage radiation side effects in cancer patients, but it is small and limited to a single center. Larger, multi-center trials are needed before hydrogen water can be recommended as a standard complementary therapy. Anyone undergoing cancer treatment should discuss any new interventions with their medical team first.
Abstract
BackgroundTraditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) is an evolving field in oncology focused on managing cancer symptoms. Hydrogen water (HW) has gained attention for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, yet its clinical effectiveness needs further exploration. This randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the impact of gargling with HW on oral mucositis severity, pain levels, oral frailty, and quality of life in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy or concurrent chemo-radiotherapy.MethodsIn this single-center, single-blind, parallel-group randomized controlled trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive either HW or distilled water (DW) for gargling. Oral mucositis (OM) severity, pain, oral frailty, and quality of life (QoL) were assessed using the World Health Organization Oral Mucositis Grading Criteria (WHO-OMGC), the Brief Pain Inventory-Taiwan (BPI-T), the Oral Frailty Checklist (OFC), and the EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaire. Assessments were conducted at baseline (T0) and on Days 1 (T1), 3 (T2), 7 (T3), and 14 (T4) post-treatment.ResultsThe HW group showed significant OM improvement at Day 7 (p = 0.04) and Day 14 (p = 0.002). Pain decreased significantly in the HW group at Day 14 (p = 0.02). QoL improved in the HW group (p = 0.03), while OFC scores showed no significant difference between groups (p = 0.74).ConclusionHW gargling significantly alleviated OM severity and pain and improved QoL in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing radiotherapy or CCRT. HW gargling may serve as a simple, well-tolerated, and effective complementary and integrative therapy during cancer treatment.