Hydrogen Therapy Prevents Heart Damage from Thyroid Hormone Excess
- Authors
- Hongxiao Yang, Juncai Bai, Chengchuang Zhan, Shuang Liu, Yunan Gao, Lihua Zhong, Yajing Lv, Jing Chi, Jiaren Liu, Xinrui Yang, Wei Yang
- Journal
- European Journal of Pharmacology
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ejphar.2022.174917
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Cardiac Hypertrophy
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas can help protect against heart enlargement caused by high thyroid hormone levels in rats.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas inhalation reduced thyroid hormone-induced heart enlargement in rats and lowered oxidative stress markers in heart tissue.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen gas could protect rat hearts from enlargement caused by excess thyroid hormone. Researchers gave rats levothyroxine (a thyroid hormone) for two weeks, which caused their hearts to enlarge. When these rats also inhaled hydrogen gas, the heart enlargement was reduced, and markers of cellular damage (oxidative stress) in the heart tissue decreased. Hydrogen appeared to work by reducing harmful molecules and blocking certain proteins involved in heart damage.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study showing hydrogen may help protect against heart changes from excess thyroid hormone, but it was conducted only in rats and did not test actual heart function improvements. Much more research, including human studies, would be needed before any conclusions could be drawn about hydrogen's potential benefits for people with thyroid disorders.
Abstract (excerpt)
Cardiac hypertrophy occurs as a result of high levels of thyroid hormone, which may contribute to heart failure and is closely related to oxidative stress. Hydrogen is a good antioxidant. In this study, we found that intragastric levothyroxine administration for two weeks caused obvious cardiac…