Hydrogen Therapy Shows Promise for Treating Chronic and Acute Fatigue
- Authors
- Kurt Lucas, Moritz Rosch, Peter Langguth
- Journal
- Archiv der Pharmazie
- Year
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.1002/ardp.202000378
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Germany
- Health Condition
- Chronic Fatigue
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Scientists found that a simple gas called molecular hydrogen might help fight tiredness—whether it's the exhaustion you feel after a hard workout or the long-lasting fatigue from diseases like COVID-19 or Parkinson's. This matters because the gas works by reducing harmful chemicals in your body that damage your cells' energy factories, which could be the real reason you feel so tired in the first place.
Key Finding
Molecular hydrogen may address fatigue across multiple causes—from post-exercise tiredness to chronic diseases—by reducing oxidative stress and restoring mitochondrial function, according to this review of existing research.
Summary
This review article examines how molecular hydrogen (H₂) might help treat fatigue—both the temporary kind after exercise or hangovers and the long-term kind associated with diseases like Parkinson's or COVID-19. The authors propose that oxidative stress (damage from harmful molecules in the body) and problems with mitochondria (the energy-producing parts of cells) are common causes of fatigue. Since hydrogen has antioxidant properties (it can neutralize harmful molecules), the authors suggest it could be a useful treatment for fatigue caused by oxidative stress.
Practical Takeaway
This is a review article proposing a theory rather than a study testing hydrogen water in humans, so it does not provide direct evidence that hydrogen water reduces fatigue. The authors acknowledge that further clinical trials are needed to determine whether hydrogen actually works for fatigue and what the best doses would be. Anyone interested in hydrogen water for fatigue should await results from actual human studies.
Abstract
Many diseases as well as acute conditions can lead to fatigue, which can be either temporary or chronic in nature. Acute fatigue develops frequently after physical exercise or after alcohol hangover, whereas microbial infections such as influenza or COVID-19 and chronic diseases like Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis are often associated with chronic fatigue. Oxidative stress and a resulting disturbance of mitochondrial function are likely to be common denominators for many forms of fatigue, and antioxidant treatments have been shown to be effective in alleviating the symptoms of fatigue. In this study, we review the role of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in fatigue and the antioxidant effects of the intake of molecular hydrogen. We propose that molecular hydrogen is well suited for the treatment of temporary and chronic forms of oxidative stress-associated fatigue.