Hydrogen Water Protects Newborn Brains from Birth Injury
- Authors
- Lin Yang, Dunchen Li, Shuying Chen
- Journal
- Open Medicine
- Year
- 2016
- DOI
- 10.1515/med-2016-0072
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen water seems to help newborn babies recover from a type of brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation by reducing harmful inflammation and brain injury markers.
Key Finding
Newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy who received hydrogen water in addition to standard care showed significantly lower levels of three blood markers associated with brain injury and inflammation compared to those receiving standard care alone.
Summary
This study looked at whether hydrogen water could help newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a serious brain condition caused by lack of oxygen and blood flow during birth. Researchers compared newborns who received hydrogen water along with standard treatment to those who received only standard treatment. After 10 days, the hydrogen water group had lower levels of three markers in their blood that indicate brain injury and inflammation.
Practical Takeaway
This is a small, retrospective study (meaning researchers looked back at past cases) in newborns with a serious medical condition. While the results suggest hydrogen water may reduce markers of brain injury and inflammation in this specific context, this is not evidence that hydrogen water is safe or effective for general use in healthy people. Any potential application would require much larger, well-designed clinical trials and medical supervision.
Abstract
This study retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of hydrogen water in the treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and its effect on serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels. Forty newborns with HIE who received treatment from April 2014 to April 2015 were divided into a conventional care group and a hydrogen water group according to the different treatment methods applied. Twenty healthy full-term newborns comprised the control group. In the hydrogen water group, 5-mL/kg hydrogen water was orally administered two days after birth daily for 10 days in addition to conventional treatment. After 10 days, efficacy indicators were examined in the HIE groups. The NSE, IL-6, and TNF-α levels were compared among all three groups. The efficacy indicators were significantly lower in the hydrogen water group compared with the conventional group. Before treatment, the serum NSE, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in the HIE groups were higher than those in the control group. After treatment, these levels in the hydrogen water group were lower than those in the conventional group. Hydrogen water lowers serum NSE, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in HIE newborns, thereby exerting a protective effect.