Hydrogen Water Shows Promise for Improving Cholesterol Levels
- Authors
- Hamid Jamialahmadi, Ghazaleh Khalili-Tanha, Mostafa Rezaei-Tavirani, Elham Nazari
- Journal
- International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism
- Year
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.5812/ijem-148600
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Iran
- Health Condition
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Drinking special water with extra hydrogen in it might help lower some of the bad stuff in your blood if you have metabolism problems, but the effect is pretty small and scientists need to do more research with more people to be sure it actually works.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water produced small but measurable decreases in triglycerides and total cholesterol across eight clinical trials involving 357 patients with metabolic disorders, though results varied between studies and larger trials are needed to confirm effectiveness.
Summary
This analysis combined results from eight clinical trials testing hydrogen-rich water in people with metabolic disorders (conditions affecting how the body processes fats and sugars). Researchers measured changes in blood lipid levels—including triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol—which are markers of heart disease risk. Overall, hydrogen-rich water produced small decreases in triglycerides and total cholesterol, but results were inconsistent across studies, especially for HDL cholesterol (the 'good' cholesterol). The researchers concluded that while the effects were modest, larger and longer studies are needed to confirm whether hydrogen-rich water truly helps with these conditions.
Practical Takeaway
This meta-analysis suggests hydrogen-rich water may have modest lipid-lowering effects in people with metabolic disorders, but the evidence remains preliminary. The small total sample size and inconsistent results—particularly for HDL cholesterol—mean these findings should not be considered definitive. Anyone interested in hydrogen water for metabolic health should discuss it with their doctor and recognize that larger, longer-term studies are still needed to establish whether it provides meaningful clinical benefits.
Abstract
Context: Metabolic disorders are a growing global concern, especially in developed countries, due to their increasing prevalence. Serum lipid profiles, including triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), are commonly used clinical biomarkers for monitoring the progression of these metabolic abnormalities. In recent decades, hydrogen-rich water (HRW) has gained attention as a safe and effective treatment, with regulatory effects on lipid peroxidation and inflammatory responses in clinical trials. Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate the effectiveness of HRW therapy on blood lipid profiles in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for metabolic disorders. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a search for RCT studies was conducted in the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar databases up to January 2024. Eight studies that met all eligibility criteria, including RCTs involving metabolic dysfunctions and evaluations of lipid profiles, were included for further analysis. Data extraction was followed by quality evaluation using the Jadad scoring system. Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA software. Results: The eight selected RCTs included a total of 357 patients with various metabolic disorders. All studies showed either no or low risk of bias. The overall levels of TG [95% CI: -0.27 (-0.47, -0.07)], TC [95% CI: -0.07 (-0.32, -0.18)], and LDL [95% CI: -0.06 (-0.28, 0.15)] demonstrated slight decreases across the studies. However, there was some heterogeneity in HDL levels [95% CI: -0.11 (-0.37, 0.14)] among the studies (I² = 37.32%). Meta-regression analysis further indicated a positive association between the outcomes and the duration of the intervention as a moderating factor. Conclusions: Hydrogen-rich water demonstrated modest lipid-lowering effects in patients with metabolic disorders. However, due to the observed heterogeneity in HDL variations, further long-term trials involving larger populations are needed to clarify these inconsistencies.