Hydrogen Therapy Changes Brain Chemistry to Reduce Appetite in Overweight Adults
Molecular hydrogen modulates brain glutamate/GABA-glutamine cycle in overweight humans
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System · Endocrine System
- Evidence type
- Uncontrolled trial (single-arm or pilot) · Human study
- Authors
- Darinka Korovljev, Jelena Ostojic, Nikola Todorovic, Sergej Ostojic
- Journal
- Archives of Medical Science
- Year
- 2023
- PMID
- 37560746
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 5
- Delivery
- Water, Commercial (Natural Health Products)
- Dose
- 12-week intake of molecular hydrogen
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Funding
- Serbian Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development; Provincial Secretariat for Higher Education and Scientific Research; Natural Health Products Inc; EvoDrop; SeaCret Direct
- Conflicts of interest
- SMO co-owns patent on hydrogen gas agent (Japan Patent Office 2016-163322) and received research support from multiple organizations related to molecular hydrogen; is founder of Centram biotechnology startup. DK, JO, and NT declare no conflict of interest.
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 5 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Serbia
TL;DR
Drinking molecular hydrogen for 12 weeks may reduce hunger and help with weight loss by changing brain chemicals related to appetite in overweight adults.
Key Finding
Twelve weeks of molecular hydrogen intake significantly reduced brain levels of glutamate and GABA in overweight adults, changes that may relate to appetite suppression.
Summary
Researchers gave 5 overweight adults molecular hydrogen (a gas dissolved in water) for 12 weeks and used brain imaging to measure levels of three chemical messengers involved in hunger and appetite control. They found that hydrogen intake decreased levels of glutamate and GABA (neurotransmitters that affect appetite) in specific brain regions, compared to a similar group of 4 overweight people who did not receive hydrogen. The researchers suggest this change might help suppress hunger and support weight loss, but they emphasize that much larger studies are needed to confirm this effect.
Practical Takeaway
This is a very small pilot study (only 5 people) that suggests hydrogen water may influence brain chemistry related to appetite control. However, the tiny sample size and lack of direct measurements of actual hunger or weight loss mean these results are preliminary. Much larger, well-designed studies would be needed before drawing any conclusions about whether hydrogen water could help with weight management.
Abstract (excerpt)
IntroductionWe evaluated whether 12-week intake of molecular hydrogen (H2) in 5 overweight adults (3 women; age: 50.2 ±11.9 years, body mass index: 29.4 ±2.1 kg/m2) affects brain levels of the glutamate-glutamine-GABA cycle, critical amino acid neurotransmitters in the mechanism of neuronal…