Hydrogen Gas Boosts Fat Burning During Exercise, Study Finds
- Authors
- Amane Hori, Masatoshi Ichihara, Hayata Kimura, Hisayoshi Ogata, Takaharu Kondo, Norio Hotta
- Journal
- Medical Gas Research
- Year
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.4103/2045-9912.296038
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Obesity
- Body System
- Hepatic
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas while exercising may boost fat burning without affecting stress on the body or fat metabolism at rest.
Key Finding
Inhaling 1% molecular hydrogen gas significantly increased breath acetone levels and oxygen uptake during moderate-intensity cycling exercise, suggesting enhanced fat metabolism during physical activity.
Summary
This study tested whether breathing in molecular hydrogen gas could help the body burn more fat during exercise. Ten men cycled at moderate intensity while inhaling either hydrogen gas or a control gas, and researchers measured acetone in their breath as a sign of fat burning. The results showed that hydrogen inhalation increased breath acetone levels and oxygen use during exercise, suggesting the body was burning more fat, but it had no effect when people were resting.
Practical Takeaway
This small study (10 participants) suggests hydrogen gas inhalation may support fat burning specifically during exercise, though the practical benefit remains unclear. The effect only appeared during exercise, not at rest, and the study did not measure actual weight loss or long-term health outcomes. More research with larger groups and longer follow-up is needed before drawing conclusions about real-world usefulness.
Abstract
Aerobic exercise is widely accepted as a beneficial option for reducing fat in humans. Recently, it has been suggested that molecular hydrogen (H2) augments mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Therefore, the hypothesis that inhaling H2 could facilitate lipid metabolism during aerobic exercise was investigated in the current study by measuring the breath acetone levels, which could be used as non-invasive indicators of lipid metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the effect of inhaling H2 on breath acetone output during submaximal exercise using a randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled, and cross-over experimental design. After taking a 20-minute baseline measurement, breath acetone levels were measured in ten male subjects who performed a 60% peak oxygen uptake-intensity cycling exercise for 20 minutes while inhaling either 1% H2 or a control gas. In another experiment, six male subjects remained in a sitting position for 45 minutes while inhaling either 1% H2 or a control gas. H2 significantly augmented breath acetone and enhanced oxygen uptake during exercise (P < 0.01). However, it did not significantly change oxidative stress or antioxidant activity responses to exercise, nor did it significantly alter the breath acetone or oxygen uptake during prolonged resting states. These results suggest that inhaling H2 gas promotes an exercise-induced increase in hepatic lipid metabolism. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Chubu University, Japan (approved No. 260086-2) on March 29, 2018.