Hydrogen Water Protects Brain Through Ghrelin Hormone in Parkinson's Study
- Authors
- Akio Matsumoto, Megumi Yamafuji, Tomoko Tachibana, Yusaku Nakabeppu, Mami Noda, Haruaki Nakaya
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2013
- DOI
- 10.1038/srep03273
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Parkinson's Disease
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Drinking water enriched with molecular hydrogen (H₂) can help protect the brain in Parkinson's disease by increasing the levels of a beneficial hormone called ghrelin.
Key Finding
Hydrogen water's neuroprotective effects in Parkinson's disease are mediated indirectly through increased ghrelin secretion from the stomach, not through direct hydrogen accumulation in the brain.
Summary
Researchers gave mice hydrogen-enriched water and found it protected brain cells from Parkinson's disease damage. The protection didn't come from hydrogen directly reaching the brain, but instead from hydrogen triggering the stomach to produce more ghrelin, a hormone that promotes growth and health. When they blocked ghrelin's effects, the brain protection disappeared, showing that ghrelin was essential to hydrogen water's benefits.
Practical Takeaway
This mouse study suggests a potential mechanism for how hydrogen water might help with Parkinson's disease, but it is early-stage research in animals only. Human studies would be needed to determine if this effect occurs in people and whether hydrogen water could be a useful treatment. The findings may also inform future therapies that target ghrelin production for neurodegeneration.
Abstract (excerpt)
The therapeutic potential of molecular hydrogen (H₂) is emerging in a number of human diseases and in their animal models, including in particular Parkinson's disease (PD). H₂ supplementation of drinking water has been shown to exert disease-modifying effects in PD patients and neuroprotective…