How Hydrogen Gas Spreads Through Body Organs After Breathing
- Authors
- Ryo Yamamoto, Koichiro Homma, Sayuri Suzuki, Motoaki Sano, Junichi Sasaki
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-018-38180-4
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Neutral
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Whole Body
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Researchers found that hydrogen gas reaches different levels and saturates at different times in various organs when inhaled by rats, which helps understand how it might work as a treatment.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas distributes unevenly across rat organs when inhaled, with the liver accumulating the highest concentration and muscle tissue taking significantly longer to saturate with hydrogen than other organs.
Summary
Researchers tracked how hydrogen gas spreads through different organs in rats after the animals breathed in 3% hydrogen gas. They measured hydrogen levels in the brain, liver, kidney, fat, and muscle using a sensitive sensor. The liver accumulated the most hydrogen, while the kidney accumulated the least. Muscle tissue took much longer to reach maximum hydrogen levels (about 20 minutes) compared to other organs (6-9 minutes).
Practical Takeaway
This rat study provides basic information about how inhaled hydrogen gas moves through the body, which may help explain how hydrogen could potentially affect different organs. However, this is early-stage research in animals only, and it's unclear whether these distribution patterns would be the same in humans or whether they translate to actual health benefits.
Abstract (excerpt)
Hydrogen has therapeutic and preventive effects against various diseases. Although animal and clinical studies have reported promising results, hydrogen distribution in organs after administration remains unclear. Herein, the sequential changes in hydrogen concentration in tissues over time were…