Hydrogen Water Reduces Diarrhea in Young Pigs After Weaning
- Authors
- Pengfei Zhang, Jingyu Yang, Zhuoda Lu, Qianxi Liang, Xing Yang, Junchao Wang, Jinbiao Guo, Yunxiang Zhao
- Journal
- Biology
- Year
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.3390/biology14080997
- Study Type
- Pig
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Diarrhea
- Body System
- Digestive
TL;DR
Hydrogen-rich water helped weaned piglets grow better and stay healthier by reducing oxidative stress, improving gut health, and lowering diarrhea.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water significantly reduced diarrhea rates and improved feed intake in weaned piglets while enhancing their antioxidant defenses and intestinal health.
Summary
Researchers gave hydrogen-rich water to young pigs after they were weaned from their mothers, a stressful time that often causes diarrhea and poor growth. The pigs that drank hydrogen-rich water had less diarrhea, ate more food, and showed signs of better intestinal health and stronger antioxidant defenses (the body's natural protection against cellular damage). The study also found that hydrogen-rich water changed the balance of bacteria in the pigs' digestive systems, increasing helpful bacteria and decreasing harmful ones.
Practical Takeaway
This animal study suggests hydrogen-rich water may help reduce digestive stress in young pigs, but it's important to note this was conducted only in pigs, not humans. The study did not report sample size or duration details, which limits how much confidence we can place in the results. Any potential application to human health would require separate human clinical trials.
Abstract
Early weaning of piglets elicits weaning stress, which in turn induces oxidative stress and consequently impairs growth and development. Hydrogen-rich water (HRW), characterized by selective antioxidant properties, mitigates oxidative stress damage and serves as an ideal intervention. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of HRW on weaned piglets, specifically investigating its impact on growth performance, diarrhea incidence, antioxidant function, intestinal morphology, gut microbiota, and hepatic metabolites. The results demonstrate that HRW significantly increased the average daily feed intake and significantly reduced the diarrhea rate in weaned piglets. Analysis of serum oxidative stress indicators revealed that HRW significantly elevated the activities of total antioxidant capacity and total superoxide dismutase while significantly decreasing malondialdehyde concentration. Assessment of intestinal morphology showed that HRW significantly increased the villus height to crypt depth ratio in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Microbial analysis indicated that HRW significantly increased the abundance of Prevotella in the colon. Furthermore, HRW increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as Akkermansia, in the jejunum and cecum, while concurrently reducing the abundance of harmful bacteria like Escherichia. Hepatic metabolite profiling revealed that HRW significantly altered the metabolite composition in the liver of weaned piglets. Differentially abundant metabolites were enriched in oxidative stress-related KEGG pathways, including ABC transporters; pyruvate metabolism; autophagy; FoxO signaling pathway; glutathione metabolism; ferroptosis; and AMPK signaling pathways. In conclusion, HRW alleviates diarrhea and promotes growth in weaned piglets by enhancing antioxidant capacity. These findings provide a scientific foundation for the application of HRW in swine production and serve as a reference for further exploration into the mechanisms underlying HRW's effects on animal health and productivity.