Hydrogen Water Improves Erectile Function in Diabetic Rats
- Authors
- Min Fan, Xianlin Xu, Xiaozhou He, Lujun Chen, Liren Qian, Jipu Liu, Jiandi Qing, Zhifu Chao, Xue-Jun Sun
- Journal
- Journal of Urology
- Year
- 2013
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.juro.2012.12.001
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Body System
- Reproductive
TL;DR
Hydrogen-rich saline improved erectile function in diabetic rats by reducing oxidative stress and cell death.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich saline improved erectile function in diabetic rats by reducing oxidative stress and cell death in penile tissue.
Summary
Researchers gave diabetic rats hydrogen-rich saline for 8 weeks to see if it could help with erectile dysfunction (difficulty achieving or maintaining erections). The treatment improved erectile function in diabetic rats by reducing oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules) and cell death in penile tissue, and by improving the activity of nitric oxide synthase (an enzyme important for blood vessel function).
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study that suggests hydrogen may help with erectile dysfunction related to diabetes, but it has not been tested in humans. The findings are promising for future research, but much more work—including human clinical trials—would be needed before hydrogen therapy could be recommended as a treatment for this condition.
Abstract (excerpt)
Purpose: Hydrogen has antioxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effects. We investigated the effect of hydrogen on erectile dysfunction in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Materials and methods: Diabetes was induced in Sprague-Dawley® rats by a single intravenous injection of streptozotocin…