Hydrogen Water Reduces Exercise Fatigue by Activating Antioxidant Pathways
Mechanism by which hydrogen-rich water mitigates exercise-induced fatigue: activation of the immunoresponsive gene 1-itaconate/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 pathway
Research hubs: Oxidative Stress
- Evidence type
- Animal study (mouse)
- Authors
- Yinyin Zhang, Yajing Ying, Xianpeng Zu, Lingling Ding, Xuan Shi, Jing Wang, Xiangtong Li, Chujian Li, Qicheng Zhou, Hui Shen, Hongxia Li, Hongtao Lu, Jin Cheng
- Journal
- Medical Gas Research
- Year
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.4103/mgr.MEDGASRES-D-24-00148
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Exercise-Induced Fatigue
- Body System
- Muscular
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
TL;DR
Hydrogen-rich water reduced exercise fatigue in mice by protecting muscles and activating a key anti-oxidative stress pathway.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water reduced exercise-induced fatigue in mice by activating a cellular antioxidant pathway (IRG1-itaconate/Nrf2/HO-1), lowering fatigue biomarkers and alleviating muscle damage.
Summary
Researchers gave mice hydrogen-rich water and found it reduced exercise-induced fatigue by activating a specific cellular pathway that protects against oxidative stress (damage from harmful molecules produced during exercise). The hydrogen-rich water improved muscle function, lowered fatigue markers in the blood, and reduced muscle damage. The study identified the molecular mechanism: hydrogen appears to work by triggering a chain of protective proteins that reduce oxidative stress in muscle cells.
Practical Takeaway
This mouse study provides early molecular evidence that hydrogen-rich water may help with exercise recovery by reducing oxidative stress. However, this is a preliminary animal study, and human trials would be needed to determine if these effects translate to people. The findings are interesting but not yet sufficient to make claims about athletic performance in humans.
Abstract (excerpt)
JOURNAL/mgres/04.03/01612956-202603000-00005/figure1/v/2025-08-04T105942Z/r/image-tiff Exercise-induced fatigue limits athletic performance. Molecular hydrogen is an effective treatment for relieving fatigue, but the exact mechanism is not clear. In our study, a mouse model of fatigue was…