Hydrogen Water Improves Fur Quality and Reduces Hair Loss in Animals

Authors
Journal
BIO Web of Conferences
Year
DOI
10.1051/bioconf/20213606026
Study Type
Chinchilla
Outcome
Positive
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Country
Russia
Health Condition
Hair loss
Body System
Integumentary system

TL;DR

Adding hydrogen-enriched water to chinchillas' diets improved their fur quality, making it softer and stronger, and reduced their fur-chewing behavior.

Key Finding

Hydrogen-enriched water supplementation improved multiple measures of fur quality in chinchillas, including increased hair strength, softness, and follicle density, while reducing self-induced fur removal behavior.

Summary

Researchers gave chinchillas drinking water enriched with hydrogen gas and compared their fur quality to chinchillas that drank regular water. The hydrogen-treated chinchillas had thinner but stronger and softer fur, with more hairs growing from each follicle (the small pockets in skin where hair grows). These animals also chewed out their fur less often than the control group, and their hair had different mineral and chemical composition.

Practical Takeaway

This is an early-stage animal study in chinchillas only, so it cannot be directly applied to human health. While the results suggest hydrogen water may influence hair structure and stress-related behaviors in animals, human studies would be needed to determine if similar effects occur in people. The study's lack of reported sample size and duration limits how much confidence we can place in these findings.

Abstract

It was found that the inclusion of water enriched with molecular hydrogen into the diet of a long-tailed chinchilla changed the fur quality indicators. In animals of the experimental group, the guard and downy hairs were thinner than in the control group. The length of downy hair in the experimental group was higher, the number of hairs in the follicle in the chinchillas of the experimental group was greater than in the control group, besides, the hair was stronger and softer. The animals of the experimental group showed less tendency to gnaw out fur. When considering the data on the chemical composition, it was found that in the dry matter of the hair of the animals of the experimental group, there were less organic substances, and there were more minerals in comparison with the animals of the control group.