Hydrogen Therapy Protects Heart Health in Heart Failure Study
- Authors
- A.V. Deryugina, D.A. Danilova
- Journal
- Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine
- Year
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10517-023-05880-5
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Russia
- Health Condition
- Chronic Heart Failure
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Breathing in molecular hydrogen helped reduce heart damage and improve heart health in rats with heart failure.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas inhalation reduced circulating endothelial cells (damaged heart lining cells) and restored heart muscle structure in rats with chronic heart failure, with the strongest effect seen 14 days after repeated treatments.
Summary
Researchers tested whether breathing hydrogen gas could help rats with simulated chronic heart failure (a condition where the heart weakens over time). Rats breathed 2% hydrogen gas either once or daily for 5 days. The treatment reduced the number of damaged heart cells circulating in the blood and helped restore the heart's structure, suggesting hydrogen gas may slow heart damage in chronic heart failure.
Practical Takeaway
This is an animal study only, so results cannot yet be applied to humans. While the findings suggest hydrogen gas inhalation may have protective effects on the heart, human clinical trials are needed before any conclusions can be drawn about its use in heart failure patients. Anyone with heart disease should consult their doctor before considering experimental therapies.
Abstract
We studied the effect of molecular hydrogen H2 on the content of circulating endothelial cells and the macrohistological structure of the heart in rats with simulated chronic heart failure. Inhalation with 2% H2 was carried out repeatedly (40 min per day for 5 consecutive days) or once (40 min). Molecular hydrogen inhalations in both regimens caused a decrease in the number of circulating endothelial cells; the most pronounced effect was observed after repeated inhalations on day 14 after chronic heart failure modeling. The decrease in the count of circulating endothelial cells under the action of H2 was accompanied by recovery of the myocardial structure and a decrease in its weight. Molecular hydrogen in chronic heart failure limited the damage to endothelial cells and improved the structure of rat myocardium, which allows us to consider H2 inhalations as the means reducing the progression of chronic heart failure.