Hydrogen Water Boosts Performance and Muscle Recovery in Elite Athletes
Hydrogen-Rich Water Decreases Muscle Damage and Improves Power Endurance in Elite Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Research hubs: Musculoskeletal System
- Evidence type
- Randomized controlled trial · Human study
- Authors
- Mkrtych Ogannisyan, Anton Slivin, Tyler W. LeBaron, Alex Tarnava, Valeriy Karmazin, Sergey Bazanovich, Vladislav Dolgachev, Anna Vychik, Alexander Strizhkov, Sergey Parastaev
- Journal
- Journal of Lifestyle Medicine
- Year
- 2025
- PMID
- 40376695
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 22
- Delivery
- Gas (Sustained Release)
- Dose
- hydrogen-rich water-generating tablets
- Duration
- 4 weeks
- Funding
- VILOVIT LLC (Moscow, Russia)
- Conflicts of interest
- Alex Tarnava and Alexander Strizhkov are involved in the commercial industry pertaining to molecular hydrogen for health. Tyler W. LeBaron has accepted speaking fees, travel accommodations, and consulting fees regarding molecular hydrogen.
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Russia
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water helped female elite athletes build muscle, lose fat, and recover better from intense exercise.
Key Finding
Elite female athletes who consumed hydrogen-rich water showed reduced muscle damage markers, increased muscle mass, decreased body fat, and improved maximum strength compared to those receiving placebo.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen-rich water could help elite female athletes recover better from intense exercise. Twenty-two athletes in handball and skeleton sports either drank hydrogen-rich water or a placebo for an unspecified period while researchers measured muscle damage, body composition, strength, and inflammatory markers. The hydrogen-rich water group showed increases in muscle mass, decreases in body fat, improved maximum strength (torque), and lower levels of creatine kinase—a marker of muscle damage—compared to placebo.
Practical Takeaway
This small study in elite athletes suggests hydrogen-rich water may support muscle recovery and body composition changes, but the study duration and exact dosing were not reported, making it difficult to know what dose or timeline might be relevant for other athletes. More research in larger, more diverse athletic populations is needed before drawing firm conclusions about practical benefits.
Abstract (excerpt)
Background: Physical activity significantly increases the production of reactive oxygen species in the body. Molecular hydrogen has been shown to have safe and effective antioxidant properties on athletes. However, research on elite athletes is scarce. Methods: A randomized, double-blinded…