Hydrogen Milk Helps Muscle Recovery After Intense Exercise
- Authors
- Nobuhiko Eda, Saki Tsuno, Nobuhiro Nakamura, Ryota Sone, Takao Akama, Mitsuharu Matsumoto
- Journal
- Nutrients
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.3390/nu14224875
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage
- Body System
- Muscular
TL;DR
Drinking a special milk that boosts hydrogen gas production in the gut may help athletes recover better from intense workouts.
Key Finding
Men who consumed hydrogen-producing milk before intense exercise experienced significantly less muscle soreness the next day and showed reduced markers of exercise-induced cellular damage compared to those who received a placebo.
Summary
This small study tested whether a special milk drink that causes intestinal bacteria to produce hydrogen gas could help men recover from intense exercise. Compared to a placebo drink, the hydrogen-producing milk reduced muscle soreness the day after exercise, lowered markers of cellular damage in urine, and improved how the body cleared lactate (a byproduct of intense exercise) from the blood.
Practical Takeaway
This is a small pilot study in humans, so results are preliminary and would need to be confirmed in larger trials before drawing firm conclusions. The findings suggest that hydrogen gas produced by gut bacteria may help with exercise recovery, but more research is needed to understand whether this approach is practical or effective for typical athletes.
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the effects of hydrogen gas (H2) produced by intestinal microbiota on participant conditioning to prevent intense exercise-induced damage. In this double-blind, randomized, crossover study, participants ingested H2-producing milk that induced intestinal bacterial H2 production or a placebo on the trial day, 4 h before performing an intense exercise at 75% maximal oxygen uptake for 60 min. Blood marker levels and respiratory variables were measured before, during, and after exercise. Visual analog scale scores of general and lower limb muscle soreness evaluated were 3.8- and 2.3-fold higher, respectively, on the morning after treatment than that before treatment during the placebo trial, but not during the test beverage consumption. Urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) concentrations and production rates significantly increased with placebo consumption; no changes were observed with test beverage consumption. After exercise, relative blood lactate levels with H2-producing milk consumption were lower than those with placebo consumption. A negative correlation was observed between the variation of 8-OHdG and the area under the curve (AUC) of breath H2 concentrations. Lipid oxidation AUC was 1.3-fold higher significantly with H2-producing milk than with placebo consumption. Conclusively, activating intestinal bacterial H2 production by consuming a specific beverage may be a new strategy for promoting recovery and conditioning in athletes frequently performing intense exercises.