Hydrogen Water Reduces Dialysis Side Effects in Kidney Patients
- Authors
- K.-C. Huang, C.-C. Yang, S.-P. Hsu, K.-T. Lee, H.-W. Liu, S. Morisawa, K. Otsubo, C.-T. Chien
- Journal
- Kidney International
- Year
- 2006
- DOI
- 10.1038/sj.ki.5001576
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Taiwan
- Health Condition
- End-Stage Renal Disease
- Body System
- Renal
TL;DR
Drinking electrolyte-reduced water (ERW) can help reduce blood damage and inflammation caused by long-term hemodialysis treatment.
Key Finding
Electrolyzed-reduced water reduced oxidative stress and red blood cell damage in dialysis patients over 6 months, improving blood cell counts and reducing inflammatory markers without the side effects seen with vitamin C supplementation.
Summary
This study tested whether electrolyzed-reduced water (water treated with electricity to add hydrogen) could help protect red blood cells in 43 patients undergoing long-term kidney dialysis. Dialysis treatment normally damages red blood cells through oxidative stress (a type of cellular damage). After 6 months of drinking electrolyzed-reduced water, patients showed improved red blood cell counts, reduced markers of cell damage, and lower levels of inflammation compared to patients who received standard dialysis or other antioxidant treatments.
Practical Takeaway
This small human study suggests electrolyzed-reduced water may help protect red blood cells during dialysis treatment, though the study size (43 patients) is modest and results should be confirmed in larger trials before drawing firm conclusions. The finding is encouraging because it showed benefits comparable to other antioxidant treatments without certain complications, but more research is needed to determine if these effects would be meaningful for dialysis patients in practice.
Abstract
Chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients increase erythrocyte susceptibility to hemolysis and impair cell survival. We explored whether electrolyte-reduced water (ERW) could palliate HD-evoked erythrocyte impairment and anemia. Forty-three patients undergoing chronic HD were enrolled and received ERW administration for 6 month. We evaluated oxidative stress in blood and plasma, erythrocyte methemoglobin (metHb)/ferricyanide reductase activity, plasma metHb, and proinflammatory cytokines in the chronic HD patients without treatment (n=15) or with vitamin C (VC)- (n=15), vitamin E (VE)-coated dialyzer (n=15), or ERW treatment (n=15) during an HD course. The patients showed marked increases (15-fold) in blood reactive oxygen species, mostly H(2)O(2), after HD without any treatment. HD resulted in decreased plasma VC, total antioxidant status, and erythrocyte metHb/ferricyanide reductase activity and increased erythrocyte levels of phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide (PCOOH) and plasma metHb. Antioxidants treatment significantly palliated single HD course-induced oxidative stress, plasma and RBC PCOOH, and plasma metHb levels, and preserved erythrocyte metHb /ferricyanide reductase activity in an order VC>ERW>VE-coated dialyzer. However, ERW had no side effects of oxalate accumulation easily induced by VC. Six-month ERW treatment increased hematocrit and attenuated proinflammatory cytokines profile in the HD patients. In conclusion, ERW treatment administration is effective in palliating HD-evoked oxidative stress, as indicated by lipid peroxidation, hemolysis, and overexpression of proinflammatory cytokines in HD patients.