Hydrogen Water Prevents Heart Disease Risk in Gum Disease Study
- Authors
- Daisuke Ekuni, Takaaki Tomofuji, Yasumasa Endo, Kenta Kasuyama, Koichiro Irie, Tetsuji Azuma, Naofumi Tamaki, Shinsuke Mizutani, Azusa Kojima, Manabu Morita
- Journal
- Archives of Oral Biology
- Year
- 2012
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2012.04.013
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Periodontitis
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water may help prevent the buildup of fats in the blood vessels of rats with gum disease, potentially reducing the risk of heart disease.
Key Finding
Rats with gum disease that drank hydrogen-rich water had significantly less fat deposits in their aorta and lower levels of oxidative stress markers compared to rats with gum disease that did not receive hydrogen water.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen-rich water could prevent heart vessel damage in rats with gum disease. Researchers induced gum disease in rats and gave some of them water containing dissolved hydrogen for 4 weeks. Rats that drank hydrogen-rich water showed less fat buildup in their aorta (the main artery from the heart) and lower levels of harmful oxidized cholesterol and inflammatory markers compared to rats with gum disease that didn't receive the hydrogen water.
Practical Takeaway
This early animal study suggests hydrogen-rich water may help reduce cardiovascular damage linked to gum disease by lowering oxidative stress. However, this was a small rat study (18 total animals), so results cannot be directly applied to humans. Human clinical trials would be needed to determine if hydrogen water has similar protective effects in people with periodontal disease.
Abstract
Objective: Periodontitis has been causally linked to atherosclerosis, which is mediated by the oxidative stress. As hydrogen-rich water (HW) scavenges reactive oxygen species (ROS), we hypothesized that HW could prevent lipid deposition induced by periodontitis in the aorta. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of HW on the initiation of atherosclerosis in a rat periodontitis model. Design: Eighteen 8-wk-old male Wistar rats were divided into three groups of six rats; the periodontitis group, periodontitis+HW group and the no treatment (control) group. In the periodontitis and periodontitis+HW groups, periodontitis was induced using a ligature for 4 wk, while the periodontitis+HW group was given water containing 800-1000 μg/L hydrogen during the 4-wk experimental period. Results: In the periodontitis group, lipid deposition in the descending aorta was observed. The periodontitis group also showed significant higher serum levels for ROS and oxidised low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (ox-LDL) (1.7 and 1.4 times, respectively), and higher aortic expression levels of nitrotyrosine and hexanoyl-lysine (HEL) (7.9 and 16.0 times, respectively), as compared to the control group (p<0.05). In the periodontitis+HW group, lipid deposition was lower. Lower serum levels of ROS and ox-LDL (0.46 and 0.82 times, respectively) and lower aortic levels of nitrotyrosine and HEL (0.27 and 0.19 times, respectively) were observed in the periodontitis+HW group than in the periodontitis group (p<0.05). Conclusions: HW intake may prevent lipid deposition in the rat aorta induced by periodontitis by decreasing serum ox-LDL levels and aortic oxidative stress.