Hydrogen Therapy Extends Lifespan by 22% in Worm Study
- Authors
- Miao Zhang, Zhihui Li, Dawen Gao, Wenjing Gong, Yan Gao, Chenggang Zhang
- Journal
- PLoS One
- Year
- 2014
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0231972
- Study Type
- Nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans)
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Aging
- Body System
- Cellular
TL;DR
Hydrogen treatment can increase the lifespan of tiny worms by reducing oxidative stress, a type of cellular damage.
Key Finding
Hydrogen treatment extended the lifespan of C. elegans by approximately 22.7% in normal worms and significantly reduced reactive oxygen species levels in their bodies.
Summary
Researchers exposed tiny worms called C. elegans to hydrogen and measured how long they lived. They found that hydrogen treatment extended the lifespan of normal worms by about 23% and reduced harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS) in their bodies. The effect appeared to work by reducing oxidative stress (damage caused by unstable molecules), though hydrogen didn't help in worms with certain genetic mutations.
Practical Takeaway
This is early evidence from worms suggesting hydrogen may have antioxidant effects that could theoretically support longevity, but this is a very preliminary finding. The study used only a simple organism model, not humans, so it's unclear whether these results would apply to people. Much more research would be needed before drawing any conclusions about hydrogen's effects on human aging.
Abstract
At present, a large number of studies have reported that hydrogen has antioxidant functions and prevents oxidative stress damage. However, it is not clear whether hydrogen can prolong longevity based on these effects. Therefore, we studied and explored the antiaging potential of exogenous hydrogen and its ability to extend longevity using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as an animal model. Our results showed that the lifespans of the N2, sod-3 and sod-5 mutant strains were extended by approximately 22.7%, 9.5%, and 8.7%, respectively, after hydrogen treatment, but hydrogen had no effect on the lifespans of the daf-2 and daf-16 mutant strains. Meanwhile, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the hydrogen treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group. At the transcript level, the expression of age-1 and let-363 was obviously decreased, while the expression of ins-18 was increased at the same time point (14 d). Compared with the control group, paraquat (PQ) could reduce the lifespan of the N2 and sod-5 mutant strains. Importantly, the longevity of these mutant strains recovered to normal levels when the animals were treated with exogenous hydrogen. According to these results, the lifespan of C. elegans is closely related to oxidative stress and can be significantly prolonged by reducing oxidative stress damage. Taken together, our data showed that hydrogen is a valuable antioxidant that can significantly reduce the body’s ROS levels and extend the lifespan of C. elegans. This study also laid a foundation for the subsequent application of hydrogen in antiaging studies.