Hydrogen Gas Improves Athletic Recovery and Reduces DNA Damage
Impact of hydrogen-rich gas mixture inhalation through nasal cannula during post-exercise recovery period on subsequent oxidative stress, muscle damage, and exercise performances in men
- Evidence type
- Controlled trial (non-randomized) · Human study
- Authors
- Katsuhiro Koyama, Yudai Shibayama, Shohei Dobashi, Takaaki Arisawa, Tamotsu Fukuoka
- Journal
- Medical Gas Research
- Year
- 2020
- PMID
- 33380581
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 8
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- Hydrogen-rich gas inhalation through nasal cannula for 60 minutes during post-exercise recovery period
- H₂ concentration
- 4.08%
- Duration
- 1 day or less
- Funding
- Helix Japan, Co., Ltd.
- Conflicts of interest
- Helix Japan, Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) provided funding for the study and provided the Hycellvator ET100 hydrogen gas generator
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 17 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Breathing in a hydrogen-rich gas after intense exercise may reduce DNA damage and help maintain jumping ability.
Key Finding
Inhaling hydrogen-rich gas during recovery after intense exercise reduced DNA oxidation markers and preserved jumping performance compared to placebo, suggesting hydrogen may protect cells from exercise-induced damage.
Summary
In this small study, eight physically active men either inhaled hydrogen-rich gas or regular air for one hour after completing an intense exercise session (running and jumping). Researchers measured markers of cellular damage and tested exercise performance afterward. Hydrogen inhalation reduced DNA damage (measured in urine) and helped preserve jumping ability compared to regular air, though other measures of muscle damage and performance showed no difference.
Practical Takeaway
This early evidence suggests hydrogen gas inhalation during recovery may help reduce cellular damage and maintain jumping ability after hard exercise. However, this was a very small study (8 men) with limited measures of benefit, so much larger research is needed before drawing firm conclusions about whether hydrogen gas offers practical recovery benefits for exercisers.
Abstract (excerpt)
Molecular hydrogen has been suggested to have a cytoprotective effect on the whole body and to enhance exercise performances. However, the effect of hydrogen-rich gas mixture (HG) inhalation on physiological responses has been poorly investigated. We examined the impact of acute HG inhalation…