Breathing Hydrogen Gas Improves Running Performance in Athletes
- Authors
- Dejan Javorac, Valdemar Stajer, Laszlo Ratgeber, Jozsef Betlehem, Sergej Ostojic
- Journal
- Biology of Sport
- Year
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.5114/biolsport.2019.88756
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Serbia
- Health Condition
- Athletic Performance
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Breathing in a small amount of hydrogen gas for 20 minutes a day improved running speed and affected growth hormone levels in young adults.
Key Finding
Seven days of daily hydrogen gas inhalation (4% for 20 minutes) increased peak running velocity by up to 4.2% in healthy young adults compared to placebo air inhalation.
Summary
In a small study of 20 healthy young adults, researchers tested whether breathing hydrogen gas (4% concentration for 20 minutes daily) for one week could improve exercise performance. Compared to breathing regular air, hydrogen inhalation increased the speed participants could maintain during a running test by up to 4.2%. The study also found that hydrogen inhalation lowered levels of a growth-related hormone called IGF-1 in the blood, though the significance of this change is unclear.
Practical Takeaway
This small pilot study suggests hydrogen gas inhalation may have modest performance-enhancing effects in young, healthy people, but the findings are preliminary. The study lasted only 7 days and included only 20 participants, so it's too early to draw firm conclusions about whether hydrogen would benefit athletes or how it should be used. More research with larger groups and longer durations is needed before hydrogen inhalation can be recommended for exercise performance.
Abstract
In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover pilot trial, we evaluated the effects of 7-day H2 inhalation on exercise performance outcomes and serum hormonal and inflammation profiles in a cohort of young men and women. All participants (age 22.9 ± 1.5 years; body mass index 23.4 ± 2.5 kg m-2; 10 women and 10 men) were allocated to receive either gaseous hydrogen (4%) or placebo (room air) by 20-min once-per-day inhalation for 7 days, with a wash-out period of 7 days to prevent the residual effects of interventions across study periods. The primary treatment outcome was the change in running time-to-exhaustion in the incremental maximal test from baseline to day 7. Additionally, assessment of other exercise performance endpoints and clinical chemistry biomarkers was performed at baseline and at 7 days after each intervention. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID NCT03846141). Breathing 4% hydrogen for 20 min per day resulted in increased peak running velocity (by up to 4.2%) as compared to air inhalation (P = 0.05). Hydrogen inhalation resulted in a notable drop in serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) by 48.2 ng/mL at follow-up (95% confidence interval [CI]: from -186.7 to 89.3) (P < 0.05), while IGF-1 levels were elevated by 59.3 ng/mL after placebo intervention (95% CI; from -110.7 to 229.5) (P < 0.05). Inhalational hydrogen appears to show ergogenic properties in healthy men and women. Gaseous H2 should be further evaluated for its efficacy and safety in an athletic environment.