Body's Natural Hydrogen Levels Linked to Immune Defense in Younger Adults
- Authors
- Ryoko Tanikawa, Ippei Takahashi, Noriyuki Okubo, Masami Ono, Yoshiki Okumura, Goshi Ishibashi, Yosuke Takeishi, Maki Nakayama, Tomohiko Yano, Yoshihiro Kumasaka, Shigeyuki Nakaji
- Journal
- Hirosaki Medical Journal
- Year
- 2014
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Oxidative Stress
- Body System
- Immune System
TL;DR
This study found that younger people (under 60 years old) who breathe out more hydrogen also have more active infection-fighting cells producing substances that can damage cells, suggesting that hydrogen might help protect against this damage.
Key Finding
In adults under 60 years old, exhaled hydrogen levels correlated positively with reactive oxygen species production in immune cells, suggesting the body may increase hydrogen production as a natural defense against oxidative stress.
Summary
Researchers measured the amount of hydrogen in the breath of 656 healthy Japanese adults and tested how their immune cells (neutrophils) produced harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS). They found that in people under 60 years old, those with more exhaled hydrogen also had higher ROS production in their immune cells when stimulated in the lab. The researchers suggest this pattern may mean the body naturally produces more hydrogen as a protective response to oxidative stress (damage from harmful molecules).
Practical Takeaway
This observational study suggests the body naturally regulates hydrogen levels in response to oxidative stress, but it does not test whether consuming hydrogen water provides health benefits. The finding was only significant in younger adults (under 60), and the study measured the body's own hydrogen production rather than the effects of external hydrogen supplementation. More research is needed to determine whether this natural mechanism has practical health implications or whether hydrogen water consumption affects this process.
Abstract
We examined the relationship between the amount of exhaled hydrogen and neutrophil ROS production to investigate the effect of hydrogen on oxidative stress at normal state among the general population comprising subjects who had participated in 'The Iwaki Health Promotion Project in 2007', which was held in the Iwaki area, Hirosaki-city in Aomori prefecture in northern Japan. Subjects with diabetes mellitus (diagnosed by a medical doctor), malignant tumors, immune disorders or those who were pregnant at the time of the study, taking antimicrobial drugs, anticancer medication or hormones were excluded from the study, and a total of 656 subjects (252 males and 404 females) were finally enrolled. Smoking habits, alcohol use, exercise habits and HbAlc were surveyed. A positive correlation was seen between exhaled hydrogen concentration and total reactive oxygen species production in stimulated neutrophils in subjects less than 60 y.o. (p<0.05), but such a trend was not seen in other age groups or in female subjects. In conclusion, levels of body hydrogen as an antioxidative substance were suggested to have increased as a response to increased production of ROS by neutrophils as mechanisms against oxidative stress.