Hydrogen Water Protects Gut Health in Toxin-Contaminated Feed Study
- Authors
- Weijiang Zheng, Xu Ji, Qing Zhang, Wen Yao
- Journal
- Toxins
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.3390/toxins10060246
- Study Type
- Pig
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Mycotoxin Poisoning
- Body System
- Digestive System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water or taking lactulose can help protect piglets' guts from the harmful effects of a diet contaminated with certain fungal toxins.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water and lactulose both reduced diarrhea rates and restored short-chain fatty acid production in pigs fed mycotoxin-contaminated feed, while also increasing hydrogen levels in the colon and caecum.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen-rich water could help young female pigs recover from intestinal problems caused by eating feed contaminated with Fusarium toxins (harmful molds). Researchers compared four groups of pigs: one eating normal feed, one eating contaminated feed, and two groups eating contaminated feed plus either hydrogen-rich water or lactulose (a type of sugar). Both hydrogen-rich water and lactulose reduced diarrhea, restored healthy levels of beneficial short-chain fatty acids (compounds produced by gut bacteria), and helped restore normal bacterial populations in the intestines.
Practical Takeaway
This is an animal study in pigs, so results cannot be directly applied to humans. The findings suggest hydrogen-rich water may help protect intestinal health when exposed to mycotoxin contamination, but human research would be needed to determine if similar benefits occur in people. The study's relevance to typical hydrogen water use in healthy individuals remains unclear.
Abstract
The objective of the current experiment was to explore the intestinal microbiota ecological response to oral administrations of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) and lactulose (LAC) in female piglets fed a Fusarium mycotoxin-contaminated diet. A total of 24 individually-housed female piglets (Landrace × large × white; initial average body weight, 7.25 ± 1.02 kg) were randomly assigned to receive four treatments (six pigs/treatment): uncontaminated basal diet (negative control, NC), mycotoxin-contaminated diet (MC), MC diet + HRW (MC + HRW), and MC diet + LAC (MC + LAC) for 25 days. Hydrogen levels in the mucosa of different intestine segments were measured at the end of the experiment. Fecal scoring and diarrhea rate were recorded every day during the whole period of the experiment. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) profiles in the digesta of the foregut and hindgut samples were assayed. The populations of selected bacteria and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles of total bacteria and methanogenic Archaea were also evaluated. Results showed that Fusarium mycotoxins not only reduced the hydrogen levels in the caecum but also shifted the SCFAs production, and populations and communities of microbiota. HRW treatment increased the hydrogen levels of the stomach and duodenum. HRW and LAC groups also had higher colon and caecum hydrogen levels than the MC group. Both HRW and LAC protected against the mycotoxin-contaminated diet-induced higher diarrhea rate and lower SCFA production in the digesta of the colon and caecum. In addition, the DGGE profile results indicated that HRW and LAC might shift the pathways of hydrogen-utilization bacteria, and change the diversity of intestine microbiota. Moreover, HRW and LAC administrations reversed the mycotoxin-contaminated diet-induced changing of the populations of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Bifidobacterium in ileum digesta and hydrogen-utilizing bacteria in colon digesta.