Hydrogen Water Fights Chronic Fatigue in Mice Study
- Authors
- Jesmin Ara, Ailyn Fadriquela, Md Faruk Ahmed, Johny Bajgai, Ma Easter Joy Sajo, Sung Pyo Lee, Tae Su Kim, Jin Young Jung, Cheol Su Kim, Soo-Ki Kim, Kwang Yong Shim, Kyu-Jae Lee
- Journal
- BioMed Research International
- Year
- 2018
- 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
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 group and HW-treated group). Stressed groups were supplied with PW and HW, respectively, ad libitum and forced to swim for the stress induction every day for 4 consecutive weeks. Gross antifatigue effects of HW were assessed by swimming endurance capacity (once weekly for 4 wk), metabolic activities, and immune-redox activities. Metabolic activities such as blood glucose, lactate, glycogen, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as well as immune-redox activities such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase, and the related cytokines were evaluated to elucidate underlying mechanism. Blood glucose and lactate were measured at 0 wk (before swimming) and 4 wk (after swimming). Results. HW group showed a higher swimming endurance capacity (p<0.001) than NC and PW groups. Positive metabolic effects in HW group were revealed by the significant reduction of blood glucose, lactate, and BUN in serum after 4 wk (p<0.01, resp.), as well as the significant increase of liver glycogen (p<0.001) and serum LDH (p<0.05) than PW group. In parallel, redox balance was represented by lower NO in serum (p<0.01) and increased level of GPx in both serum and liver (p<0.05) than PW group. In line, the decreased levels of serum TNF-α (p<0.01), IL-6, IL-17, and liver IL-1β (p<0.05) in HW group revealed positive cytokine profile compared to PW and NC group. Conclusion. This study shows antifatigue effects of HW drinking in chronic forced swimming mice via metabolic coordination and immune-redox balance. In that context, drinking HW could be applied to the alternative and safety fluid remedy for chronic fatigue control.