Hydrogen IV Reduces Exercise Stress in Racehorses After Intense Training
- Authors
- Masahiko Yamazaki, Kanichi Kusano, Toru Ishibashi, Masataka Kiuchi, Katsuhiro Koyama
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2015
- DOI
- 10.1038/srep15514
- Study Type
- Horse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress
- Body System
- Muscular
TL;DR
Giving horses a special saline solution with hydrogen (H2) in it can help reduce the stress on their muscles after intense racing.
Key Finding
Intravenous hydrogen-saline infusion significantly reduced oxidative stress markers in Thoroughbred horses at multiple time points after exhaustive racing exercise (immediately, 3 hours, and 24 hours post-race).
Summary
Researchers gave 13 Thoroughbred horses either a saline (salt water) injection with or without dissolved hydrogen gas before they ran a high-intensity race. They measured markers of oxidative stress (cellular damage from intense exercise) in the horses' blood immediately after the race and at 3 and 24 hours later. Horses that received the hydrogen-infused saline showed significantly lower oxidative stress at all three time points compared to the control group, though the horses' natural antioxidant defenses (the body's own protective systems) were not enhanced.
Practical Takeaway
This study in horses suggests that hydrogen therapy may help reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress in large animals, which could have implications for human athletes. However, this is an animal study with a small sample size, and the findings cannot be directly applied to humans without further research. The practical relevance for hydrogen water consumption in humans remains unclear, as this study used intravenous delivery rather than oral consumption.
Abstract
Upon intensive, exhaustive exercise, exercise-induced reactive oxygen species may exceed the antioxidant defence threshold, consequently resulting in muscular damage or late-onset chronic inflammation. Recently, the therapeutic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of molecular hydrogen (H2) for human rheumatoid arthritis have been demonstrated. However, it is also important to clarify the effects of administrating H2 in large animals other than humans, as H2 is thought to reach the target organ by passive diffusion upon delivery from the blood flow, indicating that the distance from the administration point to the target is critical. However, data on the effects of H2 on oxidative stress in real-life exhaustive exercise in large animals are currently lacking. We here investigated 13 Thoroughbred horses administered intravenous 2-L saline with or without 0.6-ppm H2 (placebo, N = 6; H2, N = 7) before participating in a high-intensity simulation race. Intravenous H2-saline significantly suppressed oxidative stress immediately, 3 h, and 24 h after the race, although the antioxidant capability was not affected throughout the study. The serum creatine kinase, lactate, and uric acid levels were increased in both groups. Taken together, these results indicate that intravenous H2-saline can significantly and specifically suppress oxidative stress induced after exhaustive racing in Thoroughbred horses.