Hydrogen Water Reduces Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress in Athletes
- Authors
- Dong-Sung Shin, Sung-Hoon Jung, Eun-Young Hong, Youn-Ho Shin, Jae-Yeo Park, Myung-Hee Chung, Jai Youl Ro
- Journal
- Exercise Science
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.15857/ksep.2018.27.4.289
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- South Korea
- Health Condition
- Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen water right after exercise might help reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress more effectively than regular water, especially in women.
Key Finding
Drinking hydrogen water after exercise significantly reduced two oxidative stress markers (8-oxo-dG and MDA) in blood, with greater reduction observed in women compared to men.
Summary
This study tested whether drinking hydrogen water after exercise could reduce oxidative stress markers (signs of cellular damage) in the blood. Fifteen adults (7 men and 8 women) exercised on a treadmill, then drank either regular water or hydrogen water (1.2-1.5 ppm concentration). Researchers measured three damage markers in blood samples taken before, immediately after, and at intervals up to 2 hours after exercise. Hydrogen water appeared to reduce two of the three markers (8-oxo-dG and MDA) compared to placebo, with a stronger effect in women than men.
Practical Takeaway
This small study suggests hydrogen water may help reduce exercise-induced oxidative damage, particularly in women. However, the study involved only 15 people and tested a single dose, so larger and longer studies are needed to confirm whether regular hydrogen water consumption provides meaningful health benefits for exercise recovery.
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate whether hydrogen (H2) water drinking reduced oxidative damage products (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine [8-oxo-dG], malondialdehyde [MDA], L-lactate) produced in blood after exercise-induced oxidative stress. METHODS Men (n=7) and women (n=8) (systolic blood pressure [BP]: 90-150 mmHg, diastolic BP: 60-100 mmHg) were recruited. Exercise was performed for 20 minutes (8 km/hr) using treadmill. Placebo or test group drunk water and hydrogen water (1.2-1.5 ppm, 1,000 mL), respectively, right after exercise. Three days after, the same experiment was performed in the cross-over manner. Blood samples were obtained 30 minutes before exercise, right after exercise, and 30, 60, 120 minutes after exercise. 8-oxo-dG, MDA and L-lactate in serum were determined using ELISA kit. RESULTS The blood levels of 8-oxo-dG were significantly increased after exercise (from 381±9.4 to 524±14.9 ng/mL for male; from 367±13.5 to 509±10.7 ng/mL for female). In the placebo group, the increased 8-oxo-dG at each time was not significantly different from the peak level induced by the exercise except that at 120 minutes in female. In the test group, its levels at each time were significantly lower than that in the peak level. The effect of hydrogen water was more pronounced in female than in male. The results obtained with MDA were quite similar to those with 8-oxo-dG. The L-lactate levels were not significant statistically in both groups. CONCLUSIONS The data suggest that the one time drinking of hydrogen water may suppress the exercise-induced oxidative stress.