Hydrogen Water Study Tests Benefits for Parkinson's Disease Symptoms

Authors
Journal
Movement Disorders
Year
DOI
10.1002/mds.27472
Study Type
Human
Outcome
Neutral
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Country
Japan
Health Condition
Parkinson's Disease
Body System
Nervous System

TL;DR

This study is testing if drinking hydrogen-rich water can help improve symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients over a 72-week period.

Key Finding

This is a trial protocol describing a planned study; results are not yet available, so no findings can be reported at this time.

Summary

This study is testing whether drinking hydrogen water (water with dissolved hydrogen gas) can help improve symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease. Researchers are comparing 178 Parkinson's patients who drink 1000 mL of hydrogen water daily to those who drink regular water, measuring changes in their motor symptoms and quality of life over 72 weeks using a standard rating scale.

Practical Takeaway

This is an ongoing clinical trial, not a completed study with results. While a previous smaller study suggested hydrogen water might help Parkinson's symptoms, this larger multicenter trial is still underway to confirm those findings. Anyone interested in hydrogen water for Parkinson's should wait for the final results before drawing conclusions.

Abstract

Background: Our previous randomized double-blind study showed that drinking hydrogen (H2) water for 48 weeks significantly improved the total Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients treated with levodopa. We aim to confirm this result using a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled multi-center trial. Methods: Changes in the total UPDRS scores from baseline to the 8th, 24th, 48th, and 72nd weeks, and after the 8th week, will be evaluated. The primary endpoint of the efficacy of this treatment in PD is the change in the total UPDRS score from baseline to the 72nd week. The changes in UPDRS part II, UPDRS part III, each UPDRS score, PD Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), and the modified Hoehn and Yahr stage at these same time-points, as well as the duration until the protocol is finished because additional levodopa is required or until the disease progresses, will also be analyzed. Adverse events and screening laboratory studies will also be examined. Participants in the hydrogen water group will drink 1000 mL/day of H2 water, and those in the placebo water group will drink normal water. One-hundred-and-seventy-eight participants with PD (89 women, 89 men; mean age: 64.2 [SD 9.2] years, total UPDRS: 23.7 [11.8], with levodopa medication: 154 participants, without levodopa medication: 24 participants; daily levodopa dose: 344.1 [202.8] mg, total levodopa equivalent dose: 592.0 [317.6] mg) were enrolled in 14 hospitals and were randomized. Discussion: This study will confirm whether H2 water can improve PD symptoms.