Can hydrogen water protect against gut damage from contaminated food?

Yes, this study found that hydrogen-rich water significantly protected against intestinal damage caused by mycotoxin-contaminated feed. The hydrogen treatment prevented leaky gut syndrome and maintained healthy intestinal barrier function.

How does hydrogen water help with intestinal health?

Hydrogen water appears to reduce intestinal inflammation and protect the tight junctions between intestinal cells. This helps maintain the gut barrier and prevents harmful substances from leaking into the bloodstream.

What are mycotoxins and why are they dangerous?

Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by fungi that contaminate grains and animal feed. They can cause severe intestinal damage, leading to leaky gut syndrome and compromised immune function in both animals and humans.

How much hydrogen water was given in this study?

The piglets received 10 mL per kilogram of body weight of hydrogen-rich water twice daily. This dosage effectively prevented mycotoxin-induced intestinal damage over the 25-day study period.

Is hydrogen water safe for treating gut problems?

Based on this and other studies, hydrogen water appears to be safe with no reported adverse effects. However, more human studies are needed to establish optimal dosing and long-term safety for therapeutic use.

Hydrogen Water Protects Gut Health in Pigs Fed Contaminated Feed

Authors: Xu Ji, Qing Zhang, Weijiang Zheng, Wen Yao
Journal: Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology
Year: 2019
DOI: 10.1186/s40104-019-0320-2
Study Type: Pig
Outcome: Positive
Peer Reviewed: Yes
Country: China
Health Condition: Leaky Gut Syndrome
Body System: Digestive

TL;DR

Giving piglets hydrogen-rich water (HRW) or lactulose (LAC) can protect their intestines from damage caused by eating feed contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins.

Key Finding

Hydrogen-rich water reduced intestinal damage from mycotoxin-contaminated feed by decreasing cell death, restoring the integrity of the intestinal barrier, and normalizing protein expression in piglet intestines.

Summary

This study tested whether hydrogen-rich water could protect piglets' intestines from damage caused by eating feed contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins (toxic substances produced by mold). Researchers divided 24 female piglets into four groups: one ate clean feed, while the others ate contaminated feed with or without hydrogen-rich water or lactulose treatment. The piglets given hydrogen-rich water showed better intestinal health, with less cell death, better intestinal lining structure, and improved function of proteins that hold intestinal cells together compared to piglets that only ate contaminated feed.

Practical Takeaway

While this animal study suggests hydrogen-rich water may help protect intestines from mycotoxin damage, these results are from piglets only and cannot be directly applied to humans. The study does not tell us whether hydrogen water would have similar protective effects in people or at what doses it might be effective. More research in humans would be needed before drawing conclusions about health benefits.

Abstract

Background Following the intake of Fusarium mycotoxin-contaminated feed, small intestines may be exposed to high levels of toxic substances that can potentially damage intestinal functions in livestock. It is well known that Fusarium mycotoxins will lead a breakdown of the normally impeccable epithelial barrier, resulting in the development of a “leaky” gut. H2 administration with different methods has been proved definitely potentials to prevent serious intestinal diseases. The goal of this study is to investigate the roles of lactulose (LAC) and hydrogen-rich water (HRW) in preventing intestinal dysfunction in piglets fed Fusarium mycotoxin-contaminated feed. Methods A total of 24 female piglets were evenly assigned to 4 groups: negative control (NC) group, mycotoxin-contaminated (MC) feed group, MC feed with LAC treatment (MC + LAC), and MC feed with HRW treatment (MC + HRW), respectively. Piglets in the NC group were fed uncontaminated control diet, while remaining piglets were fed Fusarium mycotoxin-contaminated diet. For the NC and MC groups, 10 mL/kg body weight (BW) of hydrogen-free water (HFW) was orally administrated to piglets twice daily; while in the MC + LAC and MC + HRW groups, piglets were treated with the same dose of LAC solution (500 mg/kg BW) and HRW twice daily, respectively. On d 25, serum was collected and used for biochemical analysis. Intestinal tissues were sampled for morphological examination as well as relative genes and protein expression analysis. Results Our data showed that Fusarium mycotoxins induced higher serum diamine oxidase (DAO) activities (P < 0.05), D-lactic acid levels (P < 0.01), and endotoxin status (P < 0.01), lower villus height (P < 0.01) and ratio of villus height to crypt depth (P < 0.05) in small intestine, greater apoptosis index and higher mRNA expression related to tight junctions (P < 0.05). In addition, the distribution and down-regulation of claudin-3 (CLDN3) protein in the small intestinal was also observed. As expected, oral administrations of HRW and LAC were found to remarkably provide beneficial effects against Fusarium mycotoxin-induced apoptosis and intestinal leaking. Moreover, either HRW or LAC treatments were also revealed to prevent abnormal intestinal morphological changes, disintegrate tight junctions, and restore the expression and distribution of CLDN3 protein in the small intestinal mucosal layer in female piglets that were fed Fusarium mycotoxins contaminated diet. Conclusions Our data suggest that orally administrations of HRW and LAC result in less Fusarium mycotoxin-induced apoptosis and leak in the small intestine. Either HRW or LAC treatments could prevent the abnormal changes of intestinal morphology and molecular response of tight junctions as well as restore the distribution and expression of CLDN3 protein of small intestinal mucosa layer in female piglets that were fed Fusarium mycotoxins contaminated diet. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40104-019-0320-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.