Breathing Hydrogen Gas Improves Running Performance in Athletes
Short-term H2 inhalation improves running performance and torso strength in healthy adults
Research hubs: Athletic Performance · Cardiovascular System · Endocrine System
- Evidence type
- Randomized controlled trial · Human study
- Authors
- Dejan Javorac, Valdemar Stajer, Laszlo Ratgeber, Jozsef Betlehem, Sergej Ostojic
- Journal
- Biology of Sport
- Year
- 2019
- PMID
- 31938004
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 20
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- 4% hydrogen inhalation for 20 minutes once per day for 7 days
- H₂ concentration
- 4% H2 gas
- Duration
- 1 weeks
- Funding
- Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (# 175037); Provincial Secretariat for Higher Education and Scientific Research (# 114-451-710); Faculty of Sport and Physical Education
- Conflicts of interest
- None declared
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 25 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Serbia
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 (excerpt)
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…