Natural Hydrogen Waters Prevent Type 1 Diabetes in Lab Studies
- Authors
- Yuping Li, Takeki Hamasaki, Kiichiro Teruya, Noboru Nakamichi, Zbigniew Gadek, Taichi Kashiwagi, Hanxu Yan, Tomoya Kinjo, Takaaki Komatsu, Yoshitoki Ishii, Sanetaka Shirahata
- Journal
- Cytotechnology
- Year
- 2011
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10616-011-9414-1
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Body System
- Endocrine
TL;DR
Special types of water from Japan and Germany may help prevent diabetes by protecting insulin-producing cells from damage caused by harmful oxygen molecules.
Key Finding
Both Hita Tenryosui Water and Nordenau water suppressed alloxan-induced beta-cell death and prevented type 1 diabetes development in mice by reducing oxidative stress and restoring antioxidant enzyme activity.
Summary
This study tested two types of natural reduced waters (special waters with antioxidant properties) to see if they could protect insulin-producing cells from damage caused by alloxan, a chemical that triggers type 1 diabetes in mice. The researchers found that both waters reduced cell death, restored insulin levels, and lowered blood sugar in diabetic mice, apparently by reducing harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species and boosting the cells' natural defense systems.
Practical Takeaway
While these results are promising, they come from laboratory and animal studies only—not human trials. The findings suggest that certain natural reduced waters may help protect against oxidative stress-related diabetes, but much more research, including human studies, would be needed before drawing any conclusions about their use for diabetes prevention in people.
Abstract
Insulin-producing cells express limited activities of anti-oxidative enzymes. Therefore, reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in these cells play a crucial role in cytotoxic effects. Furthermore, diabetes mellitus (DM) development is closely linked to higher ROS levels in insulin-producing cells. Hita Tenryosui Water(®) (Hita T. W., Hita, Japan) and Nordenau water (Nord. W., Nordenau, Germany), referred to as natural reduced waters (NRWs), scavenge ROS in cultured cells, and therefore, might be a possibility as an alternative to conventional pharmacological agents against DM. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of NRWs in alloxan (ALX)-induced β-cell apoptosis as well as in ALX-induced diabetic mice. NRWs equally suppressed DNA fragmentation levels. Hita T. W. and Nord. W. ameliorated ALX-induced sub-G(1) phase production from approximately 40% of control levels to 8.5 and 11.8%, respectively. NRWs restored serum insulin levels (p < 0.01) and reduced blood glucose levels (p < 0.01) in ALX-induced mice. Hita T. W. restored tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD) (p < 0.05) activity but not tissue catalase activity. Hita T. W. did not elevate SOD or catalase activity in HIT-T15 cells. Nord. W. restored SOD (p < 0.05) and catalase (p < 0.05) activity in both cultured cells and pancreatic tissue to normal levels. Even though variable efficacies were observed between Hita T. W. and Nord. W., both waters suppressed ALX-induced DM development in CD-1 male mice by administering NRWs for 8 weeks. Our results suggest that Hita T. W. and Nord. W. protect against ALX-induced β-cell apoptosis, and prevent the development of ALX-induced DM in experimental animals by regulating ALX-derived ROS generation and elevating anti-oxidative enzymes. Therefore, the two NRWs tested here are promising candidates for the prevention of DM development.