Hydrogen Water Was Linked to Reduced Lung Damage in Mice
Hydrogen-rich pure water prevents cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary emphysema in SMP30 knockout mice
Research hubs: Respiratory System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (mouse)
- Authors
- Yohei Suzuki, Tadashi Sato, Masataka Sugimoto, Hario Baskoro, Keiko Karasutani, Aki Mitsui, Fariz Nurwidya, Naoko Arano, Yuzo Kodama, Shin-ichi Hirano, Akihito Ishigami, Kuniaki Seyama, Kazuhisa Takahashi
- Journal
- Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
- Year
- 2017
- PMID
- 28807355
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Delivery
- Water (Dissolved)
- Dose
- H2-rich pure water for 8 weeks
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 34 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Drinking water enriched with molecular hydrogen (H2) reduced lung damage in mice exposed to cigarette smoke, suggesting a new potential treatment for lung diseases like COPD.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water significantly reduced cigarette smoke-induced lung damage and restored lung function in mice, while also decreasing markers of cellular damage and aging in lung tissue.
Summary
Researchers exposed genetically modified mice to cigarette smoke and gave some of them hydrogen-rich water to drink. The mice that received hydrogen-rich water had less lung damage, better lung function, and lower levels of cellular damage markers compared to mice that only received regular water. This suggests hydrogen may help protect lungs from cigarette smoke injury by reducing oxidative stress (a type of cellular damage).
Practical Takeaway
This is early evidence from a mouse study suggesting hydrogen water may help protect against cigarette smoke damage to the lungs. However, this was tested only in genetically modified mice, not in humans or smokers, so it's unclear whether these results would apply to people. Much more research, including human studies, would be needed before any health recommendations could be made.
Abstract (excerpt)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is predominantly a cigarette smoke (CS)-triggered disease with features of chronic systemic inflammation. Oxidants derived from CS can induce DNA damage and stress-induced premature cellular senescence in the respiratory system, which play significant…