Hydrogen Water Improves Blood Sugar in 74% of Diabetes Patients
- Authors
- Z. Gadek, Yuping Li, S. Shirahata
- Journal
- Animal Cell Technology: Basic & Applied Aspects
- Year
- 2006
- DOI
- 10.1007/1-4020-4457-7_51
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Germany
- Health Condition
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Body System
- Endocrine
TL;DR
Drinking water from the 'Nordenau Spring' in Germany improved blood sugar levels in most diabetes patients, potentially linked to changes in harmful oxygen molecules in their blood.
Key Finding
About 74% of diabetes patients showed improvements in blood sugar and HbA1c levels after drinking reduced water for 6 days, with findings suggesting a link between lower reactive oxygen species and better blood sugar control.
Summary
This study followed 320 diabetes patients who drank about two liters of natural reduced water (water with extra hydrogen) daily during a 6-day stay in Germany. Researchers measured blood sugar, HbA1c (a marker of long-term blood sugar control), cholesterol, and other markers at the start and end of the visit. About 74% of patients showed improvements in blood sugar and HbA1c levels, and the researchers found a connection between these improvements and lower levels of reactive oxygen species (harmful molecules) in the blood.
Practical Takeaway
While this observational study in a specific population suggests reduced water may support blood sugar control in some people with diabetes, the short duration (6 days), lack of a control group, and absence of follow-up data in most participants limit what we can conclude. The finding that about 26% of patients showed no improvement also indicates this approach does not work equally for everyone. More rigorous controlled trials would be needed before recommending this as a diabetes treatment.
Abstract
The study examined changes in the relevant tests parameters of 320 diabetes patients (176 female, 144 male) drinking natural reduced water from the 'Nordenau Spring' in Nordenau, Germany as well as the correlation of these changes with the fluctuation of the reactive oxygen species concentration in their blood. The average age of the test persons was 71.8 years old and the daily consumption of reduced water was as much as two liters. The average duration of stay in Nordenau lasted 6 days. The diagnostic parameters such as blood sugar, HbA1c, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglyceride and potassium were tested twice - at the beginning and at the end of the participants stay in Nordenau. Seventy-six of the test persons repeated the same procedure two or more times in the following months and years. Additionally a random sample of reactive oxygen species concentration in the blood of 50 patients had been taken in order to find out its possible causal connections to the diabetes relevant tests parameters. Blood sugar and HbA1c had been considered as the substantial tests parameters in order to break down the whole group into responder and non-responder. Two hundred and thirty six tested persons that is to say (73.8%) had been assigned to the responder group and 84 (26.2%) to non- responder. Similar ratio of 37 responders (74%) and 13 non-responders (26%) respectively had been obtained in the random sample group with an additional free oxygen radicals test (FORT). The survey pointed out the causal connections between the changes of blood sugar and HbA1c values and the fluctuation of reactive oxygen species concentration in the blood of the tested persons.