Hydrogen Water Protects Newborn Brains from Birth Injury
Hydrogen water reduces NSE, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System
- Evidence type
- Controlled trial (non-randomized) · Human study
- Authors
- Lin Yang, Dunchen Li, Shuying Chen
- Journal
- Open Medicine
- Year
- 2016
- PMID
- 28352827
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 60
- Delivery
- Water (Dissolved)
- Dose
- 5 mL/kg hydrogen water daily for 10 days
- H₂ concentration
- 0.6 mmol/L
- Duration
- 10 days
- Funding
- Science and Technology Development Plan of Tai'an City, Shandong Province (201540707)
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 28 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
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 (excerpt)
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…