Hydrogen Water Boosts Exercise Performance in Rats by Improving Cell Energy
- Authors
- Mingzhu Luo, Junyu Lu, Chao Li, Bo Wen, Wenbin Chu, Xiangchen Dang, Yujiao Zhang, Gaihong An, Jing Wang, Rong Fan, Xuewei Chen
- Journal
- Genomics
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ygeno.2022.110523
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Exercise-Induced Fatigue
- Body System
- Muscular
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen water improved exercise endurance in rats by boosting energy production in cells and altering gut bacteria.
Key Finding
Rats drinking hydrogen water demonstrated significantly improved exercise endurance and activated genes that promote mitochondrial biogenesis (the creation of new energy-producing structures in cells).
Summary
Researchers gave rats either regular water or hydrogen-enriched water while they exercised on a treadmill for two weeks. Rats drinking hydrogen water showed better exercise endurance and changes in their gut bacteria. The study found that hydrogen activated genes that help cells produce more mitochondria (the energy-producing structures inside cells), which may explain why the rats could exercise longer.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests hydrogen water may support exercise performance by boosting cellular energy production, but this is early-stage animal research. Human studies would be needed to determine if these effects translate to people, and the study's small sample size and lack of reported duration details limit how much weight can be placed on these findings.
Abstract
Background: Previous studies have shown that hydrogen water has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on exercise-induced fatigue; however, its molecular mechanism remains unclar. Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a pure water drinking group (NC) and a hydrogen water drinking group (HW) (n = 7), and 2-week treadmill training was used to establish a sports model. Gut bacterial community profiling was performed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. The expression levels of mitochondrial energy metabolism-related genes and the levels of sugar metabolites and enzymes were measured. Results: The exercise tolerance of rats in the HW group significantly improved, and the distribution and diversity of intestinal microbes were altered. Hydrogen significantly upregulated genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis, possibly via the Pparγ/Pgc-1α/Tfam pathway. In addition, hydrogen effectively mediated the reprogramming of skeletal muscle glucose metabolism. Conclusion: Our findings establish a critical role for hydrogen in improving endurance exercise performance by promoting mitochondrial biogenesis via the Pparγ/Pgc-1α/Tfam pathway.