Hydrogen Water Fights Chronic Fatigue in Mice Study

Authors
Journal
BioMed Research International
Year
DOI
10.1155/2018/2571269
Study Type
Mouse
Outcome
Positive
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Country
South Korea
Health Condition
Chronic Fatigue
Body System
Muscular

TL;DR

Drinking hydrogen water improved the endurance and reduced fatigue in mice that were made to swim regularly.

Key Finding

Mice drinking hydrogen water showed significantly greater swimming endurance and reduced fatigue markers compared to mice drinking regular water, with improvements linked to better metabolic balance and reduced inflammation.

Summary

Researchers gave mice either regular water or hydrogen-enriched water while subjecting them to daily swimming stress for 4 weeks. Mice drinking hydrogen water swam longer before becoming exhausted and showed better recovery markers—including lower blood sugar and lactate (a fatigue byproduct) and higher energy stores in the liver. The hydrogen water also reduced inflammatory molecules and boosted the body's natural antioxidant defenses (proteins that neutralize harmful molecules).

Practical Takeaway

This mouse study suggests hydrogen water may help with fatigue recovery by reducing inflammation and supporting antioxidant defenses, but results from animal studies don't automatically apply to humans. Much larger human trials would be needed before drawing conclusions about hydrogen water's effectiveness for chronic fatigue in people.

Abstract (excerpt)

Purpose. This study was performed to evaluate antifatigue effect of hydrogen water (HW) drinking in chronic forced exercise mice model. Materials and Methods. Twelve-week-old C57BL6 female mice were divided into nonstressed normal control (NC) group and stressed group: (purified water/PW-treated…

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