How Your Body Uses Hydrogen Gas When You Breathe It In
- Authors
- Akito Shimouchi, Kazutoshi Nose, Tomoe Mizukami, Dock-Chil Che, Mikiyasu Shirai
- Journal
- Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
- Year
- 2013
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-1-4614-7411-1_42
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Neutral
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Oxidative Stress
- Body System
- Respiratory
TL;DR
Breathing in low levels of hydrogen gas can help reduce damage caused by oxidative stress, similar to drinking hydrogen-rich water.
Key Finding
The human body consumes inhaled hydrogen gas at approximately 0.7 μmol/min/m² body surface area, which matches the consumption rate observed with hydrogen-rich water ingestion.
Summary
Researchers measured how much hydrogen gas the human body uses when a person inhales low levels of hydrogen mixed with air. They found that the body consumed hydrogen at a rate of about 0.7 micromoles per minute per square meter of body surface area—similar to what happens when people drink hydrogen-rich water. The study suggests that hydrogen reaches and is used throughout the body regardless of whether it's inhaled or ingested, and that measuring exhaled hydrogen levels could help track oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules) in the body.
Practical Takeaway
This small study provides evidence that hydrogen gas can be absorbed and used by the body when inhaled, and that different delivery methods (inhalation vs. drinking) produce similar results. However, the study does not measure actual health benefits—it only confirms that hydrogen reaches the body. The researchers note that fasting before testing is important to get consistent measurements, which may be relevant for future hydrogen therapy research.
Abstract
Inhaling or ingesting hydrogen (H2) gas improves oxidative stress-induced damage in animal models and humans. We previously reported that H2 was consumed throughout the human body after the ingestion of H2-rich water and that the H2 consumption rate ([Formula: see text]) was 1.0 μmol/min/m(2) body surface area. To confirm this result, we evaluated [Formula: see text]during the inhalation of low levels of H2 gas. After measuring the baseline levels of exhaled H2 during room air breathing via a one-way valve and a mouthpiece, the subject breathed low levels (160 ppm) of H2 gas mixed with purified artificial air. The H2 levels of their inspired and expired breath were measured by gas chromatography using a semiconductor sensor. [Formula: see text] was calculated using a ventilation equation derived from the inspired and expired concentrations of O2/CO2/H2, and the expired minute ventilation volume, which was measured with a respiromonitor. As a result, [Formula: see text] was found to be approximately 0.7 μmol/min/m(2)BSA, which was compatible with the findings we obtained using H2-rich water. [Formula: see text] varied markedly when pretreatment fasting to reduce colonic fermentation was not employed, i.e., when the subject's baseline breath hydrogen level was 10 ppm or greater. Our H2 inhalation method might be useful for the noninvasive monitoring of hydroxyl radical production in the human body.