Hydrogen Water Reduced Blood Vessel Thickening in Vein Grafts in Rats
Oral intake of hydrogen-rich water inhibits intimal hyperplasia in arterialized vein grafts in rats
Research hubs: Cardiovascular System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Qiang Sun, Tomohiro Kawamura, Kosuke Masutani, Ximei Peng, Qing Sun, Donna B. Stolz, John P. Pribis, Timothy R. Billiar, Xuejun Sun, Christian A. Bermudez, Yoshiya Toyoda, Atsunori Nakao
- Journal
- Cardiovascular Research
- Year
- 2012
- PMID
- 22287575
- Study Type
- Rat
- Delivery
- Water (Mg-Chemico)
- Dose
- Hydrogen-rich water generated by immersing magnesium stick in tap water, administered orally beginning day of graft implantation for 6 weeks
- Duration
- 6 weeks
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 51 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- United States
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water reduced the thickening of the inner lining of vein grafts in rats, which could help prevent graft failure.
Key Finding
Rats that drank hydrogen-rich water after vein graft surgery developed significantly less intimal hyperplasia (thickening of the graft's inner lining) compared to control rats, with improvements in blood vessel lining integrity and reduced inflammatory markers.
Summary
Researchers studied whether drinking hydrogen-rich water could prevent a common problem with vein grafts (veins used as replacement blood vessels), where the inner lining thickens and narrows the vessel. In rats that received vein grafts, those given hydrogen-rich water to drink developed significantly less of this thickening compared to rats given regular water, and the hydrogen appeared to work by reducing inflammation and cellular damage.
Practical Takeaway
This is an animal study only, so results cannot yet be applied to humans. The findings suggest hydrogen-rich water may help prevent vein graft failure through anti-inflammatory mechanisms, but human clinical trials would be needed to determine if this benefit translates to patients undergoing vein graft surgery.
Abstract (excerpt)
Aims: Arterialized vein grafts often fail due to intimal hyperplasia. Hydrogen potently protects organs and cells from many insults via its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. We investigated the efficacy of oral administration of hydrogen-rich water (HW) for prevention of intimal…