Hydrogen Water Speeds Healing of Radiation Burns in Study
- Authors
- Ping Zhou, Bing Lin, Peng Wang, Tao Pan, Shun Wang, Weisi Chen, Shaowen Cheng, Sha Liu
- Journal
- Journal of Radiation Research
- Year
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.1093/jrr/rry074
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Radiation-Induced Skin Injury
- Body System
- Integumentary
TL;DR
Drinking water with added hydrogen can speed up the healing of skin damaged by radiation therapy in rats.
Key Finding
In rats with radiation-induced skin wounds, hydrogen-rich water accelerated healing time and reduced markers of oxidative stress and inflammation compared to regular water, with effects increasing at higher hydrogen concentrations.
Summary
Researchers gave rats with radiation-damaged skin either regular water or hydrogen-rich water (water with extra hydrogen gas dissolved in it) at two different concentrations. Rats that received hydrogen-rich water healed faster and showed lower levels of harmful molecules called MDA and inflammatory markers called IL-6. They also had higher levels of protective enzymes (SOD) and growth factors that help skin repair. The higher concentration of hydrogen-rich water worked better than the lower concentration.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study showing hydrogen-rich water may help with radiation-induced skin damage through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. However, these results are from rats only and have not been tested in humans, so it's unclear whether the same effects would occur in people receiving radiation therapy. More research is needed before drawing any conclusions about human use.
Abstract (excerpt)
This study aimed to determine the healing effect of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) on radiotherapy-induced skin injury. Rats were irradiated with a 6 MeV electron beam from a Varian linear accelerator. After skin wound formation, rats were individually administrated with distilled water, HRW (1.0 ppm)…