Gut Bacteria and Hydrogen Gas in Diving Physiology Study
On the Physiology of Hydrogen Diving and Its Implication for Hydrogen Biochemical Decompression
Research hubs: Digestive System · Respiratory System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (pig)
- Authors
- Andreas Fahlman
- Journal
- Rubicon Research Repository
- Year
- 2000
- Study Type
- Pig
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- Hyperbaric H2 exposure at 22.3-25.7 atm for 30-1440 minutes, followed by decompression to 11 atm at varying rates
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Canada
TL;DR
Scientists found that injecting a gas-eating microbe into pigs can lower their risk of getting decompression sickness after diving with hydrogen gas.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-metabolizing bacteria in the intestines, particularly when enhanced through bacterial injection, significantly reduced decompression sickness risk in pigs by accelerating the removal of hydrogen from body tissues during simulated deep dives.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen gas could be used safely for deep diving by studying how the body eliminates it. They exposed pigs to high-pressure hydrogen environments and found that natural bacteria in the intestines could break down hydrogen into water and methane, helping remove the gas from tissues faster. When they injected additional hydrogen-metabolizing bacteria into pigs, this process accelerated further, reducing the risk of decompression sickness (a dangerous condition caused by gas bubbles forming in the body during rapid pressure changes).
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage research conducted only in pigs and focused on a specialized diving application, not on hydrogen water consumption. While the findings suggest that the body can metabolize hydrogen gas under extreme pressure conditions, this study does not provide evidence relevant to drinking hydrogen water for health purposes. Any application to human diving would require extensive additional research and safety testing.
Abstract (excerpt)
Biochemical decompression, a novel approach for decreasing decompression sickness (DCS) risk by increasing the tissue washout rate of the inert gas, was tested in pigs during simulated H2 dives. Since there is only limited physiological data on the use of H2 as a diving gas, direct calorimetry…