Hydrogen Water Improves Exercise Performance and Reduces Fatigue
- Authors
- Michal Botek, Jakub Krejčí, Andrew J. McKune, Barbora Sládečková, Nenad Naumovski
- Journal
- International Journal of Sports Medicine
- Year
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.1055/a-0991-0268
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Czech Republic
- Health Condition
- Exercise Fatigue
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water before exercising may reduce fatigue and improve performance during high-intensity workouts.
Key Finding
Drinking 600 ml of hydrogen-rich water before exercise reduced blood lactate accumulation and decreased perceived effort during high-intensity exercise in healthy men.
Summary
This study tested whether drinking hydrogen-rich water before exercise could improve how the body handles intense physical activity. Twelve healthy men drank either hydrogen-rich water or a placebo 30 minutes before doing increasingly difficult exercise on a stationary bike. The researchers measured breathing patterns, blood lactate levels (a substance that builds up during hard exercise), and how hard the exercise felt. Men who drank hydrogen-rich water had lower lactate levels, felt less tired, and breathed more efficiently during the hardest exercise stages compared to those who drank placebo.
Practical Takeaway
This small study in young, healthy males suggests hydrogen-rich water may help with exercise performance and fatigue perception, but more research is needed in larger and more diverse populations before drawing firm conclusions. The study tested only a single dose taken 30 minutes before exercise, so it's unclear how this might apply to different timing or repeated use.
Abstract
The potential anti-fatigue and performance benefits of hydrogen rich water (HRW) have resulted in increased research interest over the past 5 years. The aim of this study was to assess physiological and perceptual responses to an incremental exercise protocol after administration of 600 ml HRW within 30 min before exercise. This randomized, double blinded placebo-controlled cross over study included twelve healthy males aged 27.1±4.9 years. The exercise protocol consisted of a 10 min warm-up at 1.0 W.kg-1, followed by 8 min at 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 W.kg-1, respectively. Cardio-respiratory variables, lactate and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed in the last minute of each step. A significantly lower blood lactate was found with HRW (4.0±1.6 and 8.9±2.2 mmol.l-1) compared to Placebo (5.1±1.9 and 10.6±3.0 mmol.l-1) at 3.0, and 4.0 W.kg-1, respectively. Ventilatory equivalent for oxygen and RPE exhibited significantly lower values with HRW (32.3±7.2, and 17.8±1.2 points, respectively) compared to Placebo (35.0±8.4, and 18.5±0.8 points, respectively) at 4 W.kg-1. To conclude, acute pre-exercise supplementation with HRW reduced blood lactate at higher exercise intensities, improved exercise-induced perception of effort, and ventilatory efficiency.