Hydrogen Water Extends Lifespan and Improves Fertility in Lab Study
- Authors
- Seul-Ki Park, Sang-Kyu Park
- Journal
- Biological Research
- Year
- 2013
- DOI
- 10.4067/S0716-97602013000200005
- Study Type
- Nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans)
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- South Korea
- Health Condition
- Aging-Related Disorders
- Body System
- Endocrine
TL;DR
Drinking electrolyzed-reduced water (ERW) can increase both the lifespan and fertility of tiny worms by reducing oxidative stress, without the usual trade-off between living longer and having fewer offspring.
Key Finding
Electrolyzed-reduced water extended lifespan and increased fertility in C. elegans simultaneously, working through insulin/IGF-1-like signaling pathways—a result that breaks the typical trade-off between longevity and reproduction seen in other long-lived organisms.
Summary
Researchers tested electrolyzed-reduced water (water treated with electricity to add extra hydrogen) on tiny worms called C. elegans to see if it could reduce aging and oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules). The water extended the worms' lifespan and increased their reproduction, and it worked through a specific cellular pathway related to insulin and growth signals—without the usual trade-off where longer-lived organisms produce fewer offspring.
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage research in worms only, so it cannot yet be applied to humans. The findings are interesting because they suggest electrolyzed-reduced water may work through a specific cellular pathway that exists in many organisms, but much more research—including human studies—would be needed to determine if similar effects occur in people.
Abstract
Electrolyzed-reduced water (ERW) scavenges reactive oxygen species and is a powerful anti-oxidant. A positive correlation between oxidative stress and aging has been proved in many model organisms. In Caenorhabditis elegans, many long-lived mutants showed reduced fertility as a trade off against longevity phenotype. We aimed to study the effect of ERW on oxidative stress, fertility and lifespan of C. elegans. We also investigated the genetic pathway involved in the effect of ERW on resistance to oxidative stress and lifespan. We compared lifespan and fertility of worms in media prepared with distilled water and ERW. ERW significantly extended lifespan and increased the number of progeny produced. Then the effect of ERW on resistance to oxidative stress and lifespan of long-lived mutants was determined. ERW increased resistance to oxidative stress and lifespan of eat-2, a genetic model of dietary restriction, but had no effect on those of age-1, which is involved in insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1-like signal. In addition, knockdown of daf-16, the downstream mediator of insulin/IGF-1-like signal, completely prevented the effect of ERW on lifespan. These findings suggest that ERW can extend lifespan without accompanying reduced fertility and modulate resistance to oxidative stress and lifespan via insulin/IGF-1-like signal in C. elegans.