Hydrogen Gas Protects Lungs from Radiation Damage in Mice

Scientists found that breathing in or drinking hydrogen-enriched water can protect your lungs from damage caused by radiation by getting rid of harmful molecules that radiation creates in your body, which could be really helpful for people getting cancer treatment or exposed to radiation.

Animal studies suggest that inhaled hydrogen gas or hydrogen-enriched water can reduce both acute and chronic lung damage caused by radiation exposure by neutralizing harmful reactive oxygen species and reducing inflammation.

This review examines how molecular hydrogen (H2)—a simple gas that can be inhaled or consumed in water—may protect against lung damage caused by radiation exposure. Radiation damages cells partly by creating harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS). The review summarizes evidence from laboratory and animal studies showing that hydrogen can neutralize these harmful molecules and reduce inflammation, potentially protecting lung tissue from both immediate and long-term radiation injury.

While this review presents promising laboratory and animal evidence for hydrogen's protective effects against radiation damage, it does not include human clinical trials. The findings are preliminary and based on cell cultures and mouse studies, so it remains unclear whether these benefits would translate to humans or what dose and delivery method would be effective. Anyone considering hydrogen water for radiation protection should consult their healthcare provider, as this is not yet an established clinical treatment.

Radiation-induced lung injury is characterized by an acute pneumonia phase followed by a fibrotic phase. At the time of irradiation, a rapid, short-lived burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydroxyl radicals (•OH) occurs, but chronic radiation-induced lung injury may occur due to excess…

Read the full abstract on PubMed