Hydrogen Water May Boost Athletic Performance and Reduce Muscle Fatigue
- Authors
- Qiaorui Zhou, Huixin Li, Ye Zhang, Yirui Zhao, Can Wang, Chang Liu
- Journal
- Metabolites
- Year
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.3390/metabo14100537
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress
- Body System
- Musculoskeletal
TL;DR
Drinking water infused with hydrogen might help athletes perform better by reducing harmful damage that happens inside muscles during tough workouts, though scientists still need to figure out exactly how it works.
Key Finding
Most research supports that hydrogen-rich water may enhance athletic performance across endurance, strength, and sprint metrics, likely by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation caused by intense exercise.
Summary
This review examined research published between 1980 and April 2024 on hydrogen-rich water (HRW)—water infused with extra hydrogen molecules—and its potential effects on athletic performance. The researchers found that most studies suggest HRW may help with endurance, strength, and sprint performance by reducing oxidative stress (cellular damage from intense exercise), though the exact way it works is not yet fully understood.
Practical Takeaway
While this review suggests hydrogen-rich water shows promise for athletic performance, it is a summary of existing studies rather than new research, and the authors note that the precise mechanisms remain unclear. Many individual studies reviewed were likely small or animal-based, so more rigorous human trials are needed before making definitive recommendations. Anyone considering HRW should consult a healthcare provider, as evidence for real-world performance benefits in humans remains limited.
Abstract
Background: Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) has garnered significant interest within the sports and exercise science community due to its selective antioxidant properties. Despite its potential benefits, comprehensive reviews specifically addressing its effects on athletic performance are limited. This review aims to assess the impact of HRW on sports performance and explore the underlying molecular biological mechanisms, with the goal of elucidating how HRW might enhance athletic performance. Methods: This review synthesizes research on HRW by examining articles published between 1980 and April 2024 in databases such as PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. Results: It highlights HRW's effects on various aspects of athletic performance, including endurance, strength, sprint times, lunge movements, countermovement jump height, and time to exhaustion. While the precise mechanisms by which HRW affects athletic performance remain unclear, this review investigates its general molecular biological mechanisms beyond the specific context of sports. This provides a theoretical foundation for future research aimed at understanding how HRW can enhance athletic performance. HRW targets the harmful reactive oxygen and nitrogen species produced during intense exercise, thereby reducing oxidative stress-a critical factor in muscle fatigue, inflammation, and diminished athletic performance. HRW helps to scavenge hydroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite, regulate antioxidant enzymes, mitigate lipid peroxidation, reduce inflammation, protect against mitochondrial dysfunction, and modulate cellular signaling pathways. Conclusions: In summary, while a few studies have indicated that HRW may not produce significant beneficial effects, the majority of research supports the conclusion that HRW may enhance athletic performance across various sports. The potential mechanisms underlying these benefits are thought to involve HRW's role as a selective antioxidant, its impact on oxidative stress, and its regulation of redox homeostasis. However, the specific molecular biological mechanisms through which HRW improves athletic performance remain to be fully elucidated.