COVID-19 May Reduce Body's Natural Hydrogen Gas Production
Malproduction of endogenous hydrogen gas in COVID-19
Research hubs: Respiratory System
- Evidence type
- Review or commentary
- Authors
- Sergej M. Ostojic
- Journal
- Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
- Year
- 2022
- PMID
- 35967841
- Study Type
- clinical
- Delivery
- other
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 2 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Serbia
TL;DR
COVID-19 might mess with helpful bacteria in your gut that make hydrogen gas, which your body needs to fight inflammation and protect cells—so giving patients extra hydrogen could be a new way to help them recover better.
Key Finding
COVID-19 may impair the gut bacteria's ability to produce hydrogen gas, potentially reducing the body's access to this molecule's protective and anti-inflammatory effects.
Summary
This article proposes that COVID-19 may reduce the amount of hydrogen gas naturally produced in the human gut by bacteria. Hydrogen gas has protective and anti-inflammatory properties in the body, so a shortage of it could worsen COVID-19 symptoms. The authors suggest that giving patients extra hydrogen gas as a treatment, combined with testing for low hydrogen levels, could help diagnose and treat COVID-19 more effectively.
Practical Takeaway
This is a theoretical proposal, not a study with actual results or human testing. While it raises an interesting idea about hydrogen gas and COVID-19, there is no evidence yet that hydrogen supplementation helps COVID-19 patients. Much more research, including clinical trials in humans, would be needed before this approach could be considered a viable treatment.
Abstract (excerpt)
The molecular footprints of COVID-19 occur everywhere, even reaching the family of biologically active gases and gasotransmitters. Besides nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide, COVID-19 might also alter the homeostasis of dihydrogen (H2), another gaseous bioactive molecule produced endogenously…