Hydrogen Water Improves Gut Health and Recovery in Young Female Athletes
- Authors
- Ji-Bin Sha, Shuang-Shuang Zhang, Yi-Ming Lu, Wen-Jing Gong, Xiao-Ping Jiang, Jian-Jun Wang, Tong-Ling Qiao, Hong-Hong Zhang, Min-Qian Zhao, Da-Peng Wang, Hua Xia, Zhong-Wei Li, Jian-Liang Chen, Lin Zhang, Cheng-Gang Zhang
- Journal
- Medical Gas Research
- Year
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.4103/2045-9912.248263
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Exercise-Induced Fatigue
- Body System
- Digestive
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water for two months helped reduce stress and inflammation markers in the blood and improved gut health in young female soccer players.
Key Finding
Two months of hydrogen-rich water consumption reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory markers in young female soccer players while increasing antioxidant enzyme levels and improving gut bacteria diversity.
Summary
This study looked at whether drinking hydrogen-rich water for two months could help young female soccer players recover from training. Researchers measured markers of cellular damage (oxidative stress) and inflammation in the athletes' blood, and analyzed their gut bacteria from stool samples. The athletes who drank hydrogen-rich water showed lower levels of harmful inflammatory molecules, higher levels of protective antioxidant enzymes, and improved diversity of beneficial gut bacteria compared to a control group.
Practical Takeaway
This small human study suggests hydrogen-rich water may help athletes manage exercise-related oxidative stress and support gut health, though the sample size was not reported and the study lasted only two months. More research with larger groups and longer follow-up periods would be needed to confirm whether these changes translate to meaningful improvements in athletic performance or recovery.
Abstract (excerpt)
Expending a considerable amount of physical energy inevitably leads to fatigue during both training and competition in football. An increasing number of experimental findings have confirmed the relationship between the generation and clearance of free radicals, fatigue, and exercise injury…