Hydrogen Gas Helps COVID Recovery in New Study
- Authors
- Michal Botek, Jakub Krejčí, Michal Valenta, Andrew McKune, Barbora Sládečková, Petr Konečný, Iva Klimešová, Dalibor Pastucha
- Journal
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.3390/ijerph19041992
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Czech Republic
- Health Condition
- Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
- Body System
- Respiratory
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas for two weeks helped improve lung function and physical ability in patients who had recently recovered from COVID-19.
Key Finding
People recovering from acute COVID-19 who inhaled molecular hydrogen for 14 days walked significantly farther in a 6-minute walking test and showed improved lung function measurements compared to those who received placebo.
Summary
This study tested whether breathing molecular hydrogen gas could help people recovering from COVID-19. Fifty people who were 3-5 weeks into their recovery breathed either hydrogen gas or a placebo (fake treatment) for 2 hours each day over 14 days. Researchers measured how far participants could walk in 6 minutes and tested their lung function. People who breathed hydrogen gas walked farther and showed improvements in lung function compared to those who received the placebo.
Practical Takeaway
This small, short-term study suggests hydrogen gas inhalation may support recovery of physical and respiratory function in early post-COVID-19 recovery. However, the study involved only 50 people and lasted just 2 weeks, so larger and longer studies would be needed to confirm these results and determine if benefits persist. More research is also needed to understand how hydrogen might work and whether it helps people with long-term COVID symptoms.
Abstract
Molecular hydrogen (H2) is potentially a novel therapeutic gas for acute post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients because it has antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, and antifatigue properties. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of 14 days of H2 inhalation on the respiratory and physical fitness status of acute post-COVID-19 patients. This randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study included 26 males (44 ± 17 years) and 24 females (38 ± 12 years), who performed a 6-min walking test (6 MWT) and pulmonary function test, specifically forced vital capacity (FVC) and expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1). Symptomatic participants were recruited between 21 and 33 days after a positive polymerase chain reaction test. The experiment consisted of H2/placebo inhalation, 2 × 60 min/day for 14 days. Results showed that H2 therapy, compared with placebo, significantly increased 6 MWT distance by 64 ± 39 m, FVC by 0.19 ± 0.24 L, and, in FEV1, by 0.11 ± 0.28 L (all p ≤ 0.025). In conclusion, H2 inhalation had beneficial health effects in terms of improved physical and respiratory function in acute post-COVID-19 patients. Therefore, H2 inhalation may represent a safe, effective approach for accelerating early function restoration in post-COVID-19 patients.