Hydrogen Water Reduces Brain Inflammation and Sickness in Mice
Molecular hydrogen reduces LPS-induced neuroinflammation and promotes recovery from sickness behaviour in mice
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System · Immune System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (mouse)
- Authors
- Stefan Spulber, Karin Edoff, Lie Hong, Shinkatsu Morisawa, Sanetaka Shirahata, Sandra Ceccatelli
- Journal
- PLoS One
- Year
- 2012
- PMID
- 22860058
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Delivery
- Water (Dissolved)
- Dose
- chronic ad libitum consumption of molecular hydrogen-enriched electrochemically reduced water (H-ERW) for 7 days before LPS injection
- Duration
- 1 weeks
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 78 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Drinking water enriched with molecular hydrogen can reduce sickness and speed up recovery in mice with brain inflammation by affecting inflammation-related genes.
Key Finding
Mice that consumed hydrogen-enriched water recovered faster from LPS-induced sickness behavior and showed reduced brain inflammation, with shifts toward anti-inflammatory immune responses in the hippocampus.
Summary
Researchers gave mice hydrogen-enriched water for a week, then exposed them to a bacterial toxin (LPS) that triggers brain inflammation and sickness behavior. Mice drinking hydrogen water recovered faster from sickness and showed reduced inflammation in the brain compared to control mice. The hydrogen appeared to work by shifting the brain's immune response toward anti-inflammatory patterns rather than just by neutralizing harmful molecules.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting hydrogen water may help with neuroinflammation recovery, but results from mouse studies do not directly translate to humans. More research, including human trials, would be needed to determine if hydrogen water has similar effects in people with inflammatory conditions.
Abstract (excerpt)
Molecular hydrogen has been shown to have neuroprotective effects in mouse models of acute neurodegeneration. The effect was suggested to be mediated by its free-radical scavenger properties. However, it has been shown recently that molecular hydrogen alters gene expression and protein…