Hydrogen Water Protects Liver Cells from Alcohol Damage
- Authors
- Satoshi Yano, Jinyun Wang, Shigeru Kabayama, Taichi Hara
- Journal
- Antioxidants
- Year
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.3390/antiox10050801
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Alcoholic Liver Disease
- Body System
- Hepatic
TL;DR
Drinking electrolytic hydrogen water (EHW) could potentially protect against liver damage caused by heavy alcohol consumption.
Key Finding
Electrolyzed hydrogen water reduced alcohol-induced damage to liver cells by decreasing toxic acetaldehyde buildup through changes in how the cells metabolize alcohol and its byproducts.
Summary
Researchers tested electrolyzed hydrogen water (water treated with electrolysis to add hydrogen gas) on liver cells exposed to ethanol (alcohol). They found that the hydrogen water reduced damage to the cells by lowering levels of acetaldehyde, a toxic substance created when the body breaks down alcohol. The protective effect appeared to come from molecular hydrogen, since removing the hydrogen gas eliminated the benefit.
Practical Takeaway
This laboratory study in isolated liver cells suggests hydrogen water may have protective effects against alcohol-related liver damage, but this is very early-stage research. The study was conducted in cell cultures only, not in animals or humans, so it's unclear whether these effects would occur in a living body. Much more research would be needed before any health claims could be made.
Abstract
Excessive alcohol consumption can cause multi-systemic diseases. Among them, alcoholic liver disease is the most frequent and serious disease. Electrolytic hydrogen water (EHW) is produced at the cathode during electrolysis of water and contains a large amount of molecular hydrogen and a low content of platinum nanoparticles with alkaline properties. In this study, we found that EHW inhibits ethanol-induced cytotoxicity by decreasing the intracellular acetaldehyde, a toxic substance produced by ethanol degradation, in hepatocyte cell lines HepG2. Analysis of the mechanism of action revealed that EHW inhibits the metabolism of ethanol to acetaldehyde by suppressing alcohol dehydrogenase. EHW also promotes the metabolism of acetaldehyde to acetic acid by activating aldehyde dehydrogenase, which plays to reduce aldehyde toxicity and intracellular reactive oxygen species in HepG2 cells. These functions were correlated with the concentration of molecular hydrogen in EHW, and were abolished by degassing treatment, suggesting that molecular hydrogen may contribute as a functional factor in the suppression of ethanol-induced hepatocellular damage. Furthermore, hydrogen water with high dissolved hydrogen molecule showed the same hepatocellular protective effect against ethanol as the EHW. These results suggest that EHW may be useful in the prevention of alcoholic liver disease.