Hydrogen Water Protects Against Heart Enlargement in Rats
- Authors
- Zhixin Fan, Yufei Gao, Zhiwei Huang, Fenghua Xue, Shujing Wu, Jing Yang, Liqun Zhu, Lu Fu
- Journal
- BMC Cardiovascular Disorders
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1186/s12872-018-0773-9
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Cardiac Hypertrophy
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Hydrogen-rich saline (HRS) treatment was found to protect rat hearts from enlargement and damage caused by high blood pressure in the body's main artery.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich saline reduced pressure overload-induced heart enlargement and cardiac scarring in rats, with higher doses showing greater protective effects than lower doses.
Summary
Researchers gave rats with artificially enlarged hearts either hydrogen-rich saline or regular saline for 6 weeks. The rats that received hydrogen-rich saline showed less heart enlargement and less scarring of heart tissue compared to untreated rats. The protective effect appeared to work by reducing activity in a cellular signaling pathway called JAK-STAT.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests hydrogen-rich saline may help protect against heart enlargement caused by high blood pressure, but human studies are needed to determine if this translates to benefits in people. The findings are preliminary and limited to animal research.
Abstract (excerpt)
Background: Molecular hydrogen has been shown to have antioxidant effect and have been used to prevent oxidative stress-related diseases. The goal of this study was to explore if hydrogen-rich saline (HRS) plays a cardioprotective effect on abdominal aortic constriction (AAC) induced cardiac…