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 (excerpt)
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…